Homocysteine and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight or Obese Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Among the extrinsic factors, homocysteine (Hy) stands out, which is an intermediate amino acid of the intracellular metabolism of methionine involved in the process of cellular oxidation, which promotes the installation of atheromatous plaques and, therefore, is considered as an emerging cardiovascular risk factor. Objective: To evaluate the plasma homocysteine levels (Hy) in overweight or obese children and adolescents and their relation with cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2011 to May 2012 with overweight or obesity children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years followed at the Center for Childhood Obesity (IOC), Campina Grande-PB. A structured form was used to record demographic, socioeconomic and clinics variables and the patients underwent laboratory tests to define their lipid and glucose profiles and measurement of plasma Hy levels. Results: The study evaluated a total of 165 children and adolescents with mean age of 12.5 (±2.5) years; the majority were female (57.0%). Regarding the lipid profile, there was more individuals with low HDL cholesterol (88.5%). Plasma Hy levels were high in 24.2% of the sample. The mean Hy levels ranged from 4.3 to 18.9 µmol/L, being higher in males, obese adolescents and also in patients with high insulin levels and resistance. Conclusions: The results shown in this study emphasize the importance of detecting and controlling the plasma Hy levels as an independent cardiovascular risk factor, and the need for further studies to evaluate the clinical and biological factors related to alterations in its metabolism.