In untreated non-diabetic subjects, obesity is accompanied by greater associations of blood viscosity with glucose and oxidative metabolism.

Background: The influences of blood viscosity on metabolism and the peripheral circulation have not been fully explored in obesity. We evaluated the impact of obesity on the associations of blood viscosity with those two systems in non-diabetic subjects.

Methods: In 119 obese and 163 non-obese non-diabetic subjects, blood viscosity was measured using a falling-ball microviscometer. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and blood lactate were also determined as indices for insulin resistance and anaerobic metabolism, respectively.

Results: Blood viscosity was significantly greater in the obese group than in the non-obese group (4.25±0.46 versus 4.14±0.44 mPa·S, p = 0.032). Blood viscosity was independently positively associated with log HOMA-IR and log blood lactate in the obese group, but not in the non-obese group. In all subjects, the body mass index status (i.e., non-obese or obese = 0 or 1) × blood viscosity interaction was significantly associated with log HOMA-IR and log blood lactate (partial r = 0.130, p = 0.029 and partial r = 0.173, p = 0.013). Thus, greater influences of blood viscosity on glucose and oxidative metabolism were observed in the obese group than the non-obese group. However, only approximately 9 to 11 % of the variance in blood viscosity was attributable to differences in log HOMA-IR or log blood lactate in the obese group. Contrastingly, blood viscosity did not relate with blood pressure in either group.

Conclusions: In non-diabetic obesity, blood viscosity elevates, and such hemorheological change could at least partially contribute to the aggravations of insulin resistance and anaerobic metabolism.