Gender Differences in Fat Distribution and Inflammatory Markers among Arabs

Table 1

Anthropometry, body composition, lipid profile, iron indices, insulin sensitivity, and glucose handling in men and women.

Variable	Men; 𝑛=29	Women; 𝑛=29	𝑃 value
Age (years)	32.6±10.7	34.2±10.1	0.55
BMI (kg/m^2)	27.9±5.9	28.3±6.1	0.79
Waist circumference (cm)	95.4±17.4	90.1±11.3	0.19
Body fat (%)	32.7±8.8	43.4±6.3	<0.01
Systolic BP (mm Hg)	127.6±11.4	126.3±16.8	0.73
Diastolic BP (mm Hg)	79.2±9.9	77.8±9.9	0.58
Lipid profile
Total cholesterol; (mmol/L)	5.1±1.1	4.7±0.7	0.19
Triglycerides (mmol/L)	1.2±0.5	0.8±0.4	0.01
HDL (mmol/L)	1.2±0.2	1.4±0.3	0.01
LDL (mmol/L)	3.2±0.9	2.8±0.7	0.06
Iron indices
Haemoglobin (g/dL)	14.8±0.8	12.3±0.7	<0.01
Serum iron (𝜇g/dL)	15.2±4.0	10.8±5.7	0.05
Serum ferritin (𝜇g/dL)	105.9±37.0	23±20.1	<0.01
Iron-binding capacity; (µmol/L)	56.9±5.9	62.9±9.6	0.10
Urea nitrogen (mmol/L)	5.0±1.4	3.2±0.7	<0.01
Creatinine (mmol/L)	78.4±17.3	55.8±6.7	<0.01
Insulin sensitivity and glucose handling
Fasting glucose; (mmol/L)	5.0±0.5	5.0±0.6	0.77
Insulin (𝜇IU/mL)	4.23 (3.59–6.39)	6.22 (3.82–10.7)	0.12
HOMA-IR	1.07 (0.77–1.31)	1.44 (0.82–2.24)	0.19
HbA1c (%)	5.6±0.3	5.6±0.4	0.66

Data shown as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range).
BMI: body mass index; BP: blood pressure; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HOMA-IR: homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance.