Serum Calprotectin is Associated with Overweight and Laboratory Markers of Glucose Metabolism in Apparently Healthy Young Adults—A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

<b>Background</b>: Recent studies have indicated that serum calprotectin, a marker of inflammation, is associated with obesity and disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum calprotectin and cardiometabolic risk factors in presumably healthy young adults. <b>Methods</b>: The study enrolled 118 (61 females, 57 males) non-obese, normoglycemic, subjects aged 25-40 years, selected from the general population among participants of the diabetes preventive screening program in 2014-2015. Basic anthropometric measurements and the following laboratory tests were performed on all participants: glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), calprotectin and adiponectin. <b>Results</b>: The serum calprotectin concentration was significantly higher in men compared to women (<i>p</i> = 0.016), and in overweight subjects (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and those with abdominal obesity (<i>p</i> < 0.001), compared to lean individuals. Serum calprotectin was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, HbA1c, hs-CRP, insulin, HOMA-IR and triglycerides, and negatively with HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin. In the univariable logistic regression analysis, overweight (OR = 2.529; <i>p</i> = 0.015), abdominal obesity (OR = 3.217; <i>p</i> = 0.006), hs-CRP > 1 mg/L (OR = 5.00; <i>p</i> < 0.001), HOMA-IR > 2.0 (OR = 4.394; <i>p</i> < 0.001), and HbA1c > 32 mmol/mol (OR = 2.166; <i>p</i> = 0.021) were significant predictors of increased calprotectin concentration (≥540.8 ng/mL; ≥median). However, in models adjusted for sex, BMI and hs-CRP, the significant association remained only for increased HbA1c and HOMA-IR values. <b>Conclusions</b>: Association of serum calprotectin with overweight, hs-CRP and laboratory indicators of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance suggest its significance as a laboratory biomarker of initial metabolic impairment.