Obesity and metabolic syndrome in 7-9 years-old Portuguese schoolchildren

Abstract

BackgroundBody fat is related to changes in lipid profile, blood pressure and metabolism of insulin and glucose, known as the metabolic syndrome (MS). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components among overweight and obese Portuguese schoolchildren, and to identify associated clinical and biochemical characteristics.MethodsA total of 82 children (14 overweight and 68 obese; 40 boys and 42 girls) aged 7-9 years, underwent anthropometric measurements. A blood sample was obtained to assess biochemical parameters. Insulin resistance (IR) was determined by the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). MS was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria modified by Cook.ResultsThe prevalence of MS was 15.8%. Abdominal obesity was present in all children. Frequency of elevated blood pressure, low HDL-cholesterol and elevated triglyceride concentrations were 62.6%, 13.4% and 11.0%, respectively. None of the children presented impaired fasting glucose, however hyperinsulinemia (7.3%) and IR (8.5%) were observed. The number of components of MS was higher in children with higher z-BMI (ρ = 0.411; p < 0.001). MS was associated with higher leptin concentrations. No association was found with adiponectin or ghrelin levels. Leptin correlated positively with obesity, glucose metabolism, lipid profile, hepatic function and C-reactive protein, and negatively with HDL and Apolipoprotein A-I/B ratio.ConclusionsThis study shows a significant prevalence of MS among obese schoolchildren. Abdominal obesity and elevated blood pressure were the most frequent components of this syndrome. Dyslipidemia, IR and high levels of leptin were also associated with MS in this young group.

Leptin as a predictor of metabolic syndrome in prepubertal children

“…Papoutsakis and cols., using the IDF definition of MS in a cohort of 1,138 healthy subjects (normal-weight, overweight, and obese) with a mean age of 11.2 years, demonstrated that leptin is a predictor of the number of metabolic syndrome components present (27). Pedrosa and cols., using the definition of MS proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III), showed that presence of the syndrome was associated with high leptin levels in overweight and obese children aged 7 to 9 years (28).…”

Metabolic syndrome in obese adolescents: a comparison of three different diagnostic criteria

“…Tal fato foi confirmado no presente estudo, sendo que essa variável foi a que apresentou menores proporções para os três critérios, 7,4% para a IDF e 1,7% para cada um dos demais critérios. Baixa proporção de GJ elevada, em estudos com crianças e adolescentes obesos, é comum na literatura 9,12,27 .…”

“…A associação entre a obesidade em populações pediátricas e a presença de fatores de risco para a síndrome metabólica, conforme observado no presente estudo, tem sido amplamente demonstrada 3,27,[30][31][32] .…”

Waist circumference percentile in children from municipalities of developed and developing countries

“…Furthermore, obesity was associated with several cardiovascular risk factors in Portuguese children 40 . A Portuguese study comprising 1,433 children (6-12 yrs) highlighted that the overweight and obese prevalence was 22.3% and 10.7%, respectively, and abdominal obesity prevalence (WC ≥ 90th) was 7.8% 41 .…”