Among healthy adults, increasing serum albumin levels are associated with a decreased risk for metabolic syndrome, independent of higher baseline albumin levels, recent findings suggest.

“The results of the current study support the idea that serum albumin change might be one of the major antioxidative biomarkers for the prediction of incident metabolic syndrome,” Sang-Man Jin, MD, clinical assistant professor at Samsung Medical Center and Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues wrote. “Although the mechanism cannot be determined directly based upon the current data, we speculate that the chronic inflammation and oxidative stress involved in the initiation of metabolic syndrome could explain the association between change in serum albumin concentration and the risk of incident metabolic syndrome.”

In a retrospective, longitudinal study of electronic medical records, Jin and colleagues analyzed data from 12,567 adults without metabolic syndrome, diabetes or cardiovascular disease at baseline enrolled in a health screening program at Samsung Medical Center. Patients had at least four follow-up visits between 2006 and 2012. The risk for developing metabolic syndrome was analyzed according to baseline serum albumin level and change in serum albumin concentration during follow-up.

During a mean 5.02 years’ follow-up (63,060 person-years) 2,582 adults (20.55%; 1,746 men) developed metabolic syndrome between 2006 and 2012. Researchers found that, as percent change in serum albumin level increased, the rate of incident metabolic syndrome decreased, as did the proportion of men, BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin and cholesterol levels. In the fully adjusted model, when compared with patients in the first quartile of change in serum albumin level (negative percent change), the HR for metabolic syndrome among patients in the fourth quartile ( 8.51% increase) was 0.262 (95% CI, 0.224-0.305); HR for those in the third quartile (< 8.51% increase) was 0.353 (95% CI, 0.307-0.405); HR for those in the second quartile (0-4.55% increase) was 0.478 (95% CI, 0.421-0.544). Researchers also observed an inverse correlation between percent change in serum albumin and serum level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P < .001). – by Regina Schaffer