Title: Oxidative Stress And Metabolic Dysregulation In Type 2 Diabetes: An Adiposity-Linked Shift In Plasma Redox Balance
Authors: Nguyen Thi Diep Anh, Nguyen Thi Trinh, Tran Khanh Chi, Nguyen Hong Linh, Nguyen Hoang Han
Volume: 10
Issue: 9
Pages: 108-116
Publication Date: 2026/09/28
Abstract:
: Oxidative stress is regarded as a central mechanism in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet its relationship with routine metabolic indices remains incompletely characterised in Vietnamese patients. This cross-sectional study determined plasma total antioxidant status (TAS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), an end-product of lipid peroxidation, in 140 outpatients with T2DM aged 40-79 years managed at the Thai Nguyen Medical Centre between November 2024 and April 2025, and examined their associations with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and fasting plasma glucose. TAS was measured by the Randox ABTS(r) assay and MDA by thiobarbituric acid spectrophotometry; associations were assessed by sex-stratified Spearman rank correlation. Overweight and obesity predominated (56.43%). Mean plasma TAS was 1.58 ± 0.19 mmol/L, significantly higher in men (1.62 ± 0.21 mmol/L) than in women (1.54 ± 0.15 mmol/L; p = 0.011), whereas mean MDA was 2.24 ± 0.51 nmol/mL and did not differ between the sexes (p = 0.488). TAS correlated weakly and inversely with BMI in both men (rho = ?0.305; p = 0.008) and women (rho = ?0.338; p = 0.003), whereas MDA showed a moderate positive correlation with BMI in men (rho = 0.434; p < 0.001) and women (rho = 0.515; p < 0.001); neither marker correlated significantly with fasting plasma glucose or waist circumference. The reciprocal behaviour of the two markers indicates a coordinated displacement of redox equilibrium coupled to adiposity rather than to prevailing glycaemia, suggesting that weight reduction may be the most accessible means of lowering oxidative burden in pharmacologically treated T2DM.