American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 63, 373-376, Copyright © 1996 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor in obese alcoholics compared with normal-weight patients

D Bunout, C Munoz, M Lopez, MP de la Maza, L Schlesinger, S Hirsch and M Pettermann
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago.

We performed a liver biopsy and measured plasma concentrations of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- alpha), and spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated in vitro monocyte production of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha in 19 obese and 17 age- matched, normal-weight alcoholics admitted for treatment of their alcoholism. Nine healthy normal-weight alcoholics had cirrhosis in their liver biopsy (Fisher's exact test: P=0.031). A histologic score (derived from the sum of fat, necrosis, fibrosis, and inflammation in the biopsy) correlated with body mass index and the percentage body fat, calculated by using the sum of four skinfold-thickness measures. Plasma concentrations and spontaneous in vitro monocyte production of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were below detection limits. No significant differences were observed between normal-weight and obese alcoholics with or without cirrhosis and normal control subjects in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocyte production of IL-1 beta (6.5 +/- 0.8, 10.1 +/- 2.7, 7.9 +/- 1.6, and 5.28 +/- 4.24 micrograms/L, respectively) or TNF-alpha (2.8 +/- 0.4, 3.7 +/- 1.0, 3.0 +/- 0.44, and 1.97 +/- 1.01 micrograms/L, respectively). However, a positive correlation was found between IL-1 beta production and body mass index (r=0.333, P=0.047), percentage body fat (r=0.412, p=0.013), abdominal circumference (r=0.416, P=0.012), and total histologic score (r=0.331, P=0.049). A multiple-regression model accepted abdominal circumference as the only independent predictor of IL-1 beta production. TNF-alpha did not correlate with any of the above-mentioned indexes. We conclude that obese alcoholics have a higher frequency of histologic liver damage and that IL- 1 beta production by stimulated monocytes is related to abdominal fat accumulation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. R. Vasudevan, H. Wu, A. M. Xydakis, P. H. Jones, E. O. Smith, J. F. Sweeney, D. B. Corry, and C. M. Ballantyne Eotaxin and Obesity J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2006; 91(1): 256 - 261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Ueland, C. Kristo, K. Godang, P. Aukrust, and J. Bollerslev Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Is Associated with Fat Distribution in Endogenous Cushing's Syndrome: A Longitudinal Study J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2003; 88(4): 1492 - 1496. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K G Tantisira and S T Weiss Complex interactions in complex traits: obesity and asthma Thorax, September 1, 2001; 56(90002): ii64 - 74. [Full Text] [PDF]