Dietary glycemic index and dietary glycemic load is associated with apelin gene expression in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues of adults

Abstract Background Apelin, as an adipokine, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to determine whether the quality and quantity of dietary carbohydrates were associated with apelin gene expression in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 102 adults who underwent minor abdominal surgery were selected. Approximately 100 mg of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues were collected during the surgery to measure apelin gene expression. Anthropometric measurment, blood samples, and dietary intakes were collected before surgery. The dietary carbohydrate intake, glycemic index (GI), and glycemic load (GL) were determined. Results The average apelin concentration was 269.6 ± 98.5(pg/mL), and 16.3% of participants were insulin resistant. There was a correlation between insulin (p-value = 0.043), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)(p-value = 0.045) and apelin gene expression in visceral adipose tissue. There was a positive association of apelin gene expression with dietary GI and GL after adjustment for age, sex, and waist circumference in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues(p < 0.05). Apelin gene expression in visceral(p = 0.002) and subcutaneous(p = 0.003) adipose tissues was directly associated with foods with a higher GI. There was no association between total carbohydrate intake and apelin gene expression in both visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. Conclusions Dietary GI and GL, not total carbohydrate intake, were positively associated with apelin gene expression in both visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. Future studies are warranted to illustrate the chronic and acute effect of carbohydrate quality on apelin homeostasis.