High cardiometabolic risk in healthy Chilean adolescents: associations with anthropometric, biological and lifestyle factors

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyse the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in healthy adolescents of low to middle socio-economic status and to study the influence of anthropometric, biological and lifestyle factors on the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS).DesignCross-sectional study. BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fat and lean mass (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), TAG, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment–insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), food intake and physical activity were measured. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined using the International Diabetes Federation criteria and insulin resistance using HOMA-IR ≥2·6. Bivariate and multivariate regressions examined the associations between MetS and anthropometric, biological and lifestyle factors.SettingObservational cohort study including Chilean adolescents, who were part of a follow-up study beginning in infancy.SubjectsAdolescents aged 16–17 years (n 667).ResultsIn the sample, 16·2 % had obesity and 9·5 % had MetS. Low HDL-cholesterol (69·9 %), abdominal obesity (33·3 %) and fasting hyperglycaemia (8·7 %) were the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. In males, obesity (OR=3·7; 95 % CI 1·2, 10·8), insulin resistance (OR=3·0; 95 % CI 1·1, 8·2), physical inactivity (OR=2·9; 95 % CI 1·1, 7·7) and sarcopenia (OR=21·2; 95 % CI 4·2, 107·5) significantly increased the risk of MetS. In females, insulin resistance (OR=4·9; 95 % CI 1·9, 12·6) and sarcopenia (OR=3·6; 95 % CI 1·1, 11·9) were significantly associated with MetS.ConclusionsHigh prevalences of obesity, abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, fasting hyperglycaemia and MetS were found in healthy adolescents. In both sexes, sarcopenia and insulin resistance were important risk factors of MetS. Promotion of active lifestyles at the school level and regulation of the sale of energy-dense foods are needed.

Low muscle mass is associated with cardiometabolic risk regardless of nutritional status in adolescents: A cross-sectional study in a Chilean birth cohort

“…In healthy male and female adolescents from Chile, relative sarcopenia showed a strong positive association with the risk of MetS, independent of other influences . According to the 2015 physical activity, evaluation part of the System for the Assessment of Educational Quality (SIMCE), a national standardized test administered to all eighth grade Chilean students, 81% of females and 76% of males had impaired muscle functioning .…”

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of metabolic syndrome in school-aged children and their parents in nine Mesoamerican countries

“…It also hampers the generalizability of results. Third, although metabolic scores have been reported in studies of children and adolescents from Latin America (34)(35)(36) , their absolute values cannot be compared with those from our study because the components used in their estimation differed and each study standardized the score to its own population. Using scores from log-transformed variables is advantageous from a statistical viewpoint but also limits the comparability of absolute values across populations.…”

The Role of Genetic, Dietary and Lifestyle Factors in Pediatric Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of the Literature from Prenatal to Adolescence

“…Physical inactivity was determined using a cut point of ≤3 and was recognized as a major contributor to MetS, where OR = 2.9 (95% CI: 1.1-7.7) [13]. Whilst the importance of consistent physical activity in childhood can be emphasized for later metabolic and cardiovascular health, the school environment may inadvertently impede adequate levels of activity.…”