No abstract

This study explored inter-(between) and intra-(within) ethnic group differences in metabolic syndrome components among a clinical sample of morbidly obese (body mass index [BMI] !97th percentile for age and sex) 12-to 18-year-olds originating from Latin America and the Caribbean Basin and a matched (age ⁄ ethnicity ⁄ sex ⁄ BMI percentile) national sample (N=208, both samples) of Mexican American and non-Hispanic blacks from the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Mexican American and non-Hispanic black boys from the NHANES ⁄ national sample had significantly higher mean fasting glucose levels compared with Latin and Caribbean blacks (98.50 vs 85.42 mg ⁄ dL, 97.34 vs 86.44 mg ⁄ dL, respectively, (P<.001 for both comparisons). Conversely, both diastolic ⁄ systolic blood pressure was consistently higher among Latin ⁄ Caribbean adolescents vs Mexican American and non-Hispanic blacks for all age ⁄ sex ⁄ ethnic groups. These results indicate that morbidly obese adolescents from both major ethnic groups and subgroups within these groups show health-related comorbidities in both clinic-and population-based settings. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2010;12:645-652. ª 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. C urrently, more than 17% of children in the Unites States aged 2 to 19 are obese (!95th percentile for body mass index [BMI] for age and sex), and another 34% are at-risk for becoming obese (!85th percentile for BMI for age and sex). 1 Data consistently show that non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics have higher obesity prevalence rates compared with their non-Hispanic white counterparts. 1-3 A secular trend analysis of US national data showed that non-Hispanic black children and adolescents experienced the largest increase in the prevalence of obesity (12.2%) compared with non-Hispanic white (8.0%) and Mexican Americans (4.9%) during the past 20 years. 4 Moreover, national prevalence estimates from 1999 to 2002 show that extreme obesity (>99th percentile for BMI) approached 6% to 7% among non-Hispanic black girls and Mexican American boys. 2

Our results indicate that both sub-groups of, and major ethnic groups (Mexican- and African American) are at equal risk for cardiometabolic disease. Early identification of MS in recent immigrant children may improve their future cardiometabolic health.

Background: Data evaluating the frequency of elevated aminotransferases (as a surrogate for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]) and metabolic syndrome (MS) components among overweight multiethnic children/adolescents originating predominantly from South/Central America and the Caribbean are limited. Methods: A sample (N = 284) of multiethnic (75% Latino, 25% Afro Caribbean/nonHispanic black) overweight children/ adolescents' (mean age 12.24 + 3.48) overnight fasting insulin and glucose, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, HDL/LDL/total cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminostransferase (ALT) were analyzed. Results: A total of 22% of the sample had elevated ALT (>30 U/L; mean 25.94 U/L for Hispanics, 23.05 U/L for blacks) and 8% had elevated AST (> 35 U/L; mean 23.05 U/L for Hispanics, 24.68 U/L for blacks). AST and ALT were significantly correlated with triglycerides (r = 0.23, P < .01; r = 0.18, P < .05, respectively) for the overall sample. Conclusions: Among overweight adolescents, MS components are associated with NALFD in subgroups of major ethnic groups suggesting that AST and ALT as surrogate markers for NAFLD should be included in addition to the standard cardio metabolic tests.