Search

IntroductionChildhood obesity is associated with multiple cardio-metabolic abnormalities. A sensitive hypothesis underlying these alterations is oxidative stress, shown to be present in obesity, often accompanied by a diminished antioxidant defense. Specifically, plasma vitamin concentrations have been observed to be associated with obesity in adults and children. However, their association with cardio-metabolic alterations in children is less clear.Materials and Methods985 children (49.2% males, 71.7% prepubertal, 71.9% excess weight) were recruited in a case-control study of obesity in three Spanish hospitals. Pubertal status was assessed and anthropometry (weight, height), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and serum glucose, insulin, triacylglycerols (TAG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. Plasma concentrations of tocopherols and carotenes were determined with HPLC-MS and referred to TAG. Children were classified as MU if showing one or more of these criteria: SBP or DBP ≥ 90th percentile (age, sex, height), serum TAG > 90th percentile (age, sex), HDL-C < 10th percentile (age, sex), glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL or elevated HOMA-IR (≥ 2.5 prepubertal, ≥ 3.38 pubertal males, ≥ 3.905 pubertal females). Non-fulfillment was indicative of MH status. General linear models adjusted for sex, age, recruitment center and BMI were used to evaluate differences in vitamins between MH and MU children.ResultsPrepubertal and pubertal children with excess weight showed lower tocopherols (Pre: 0.133 ± 0.061 vs 0.165 ± 0.065, P < 0.001; Pub: 0.120 ± 0.057 vs 0.163 ± 0.066, P < 0.001) and carotenes (Pre: 15.63 ± 13.72 vs 30.31 ± 26.04, P < 0.001; Pub: 12.34 ± 9.86 vs 22.98 ± 19.25, P < 0.001) plasma concentrations than normal-weight children. MU prepubertal and pubertal children showed lower tocopherols (Pre: 0.120 ± 0.056 vs 0.165 ± 0.064, P < 0.001; Pub: 0.111 ± 0.051 vs 0.154 ± 0.066, P < 0.001) and carotenes (Pre: 14.07 ± 12.61 vs 25.97 ± 21.94, P < 0.001; Pub: 10.90 ± 8.54 vs 19.03 ± 14.58, P < 0.001) plasma concentrations than MH children, independently of BMI. Individual MU components analyses showed similar associations between tocopherols and carotenes and insulin resistance, low HDL-C values and hypertriglyceridemia in prepubertal children; and between tocopherols and carotenes and elevated SBP, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia in pubertal children.DiscussionOur findings agree with previous studies that showed decreased plasma concentrations of tocopherols and carotenes in children with obesity. However, we observe further implications of low circulating concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants in terms of their negative association with cardio-metabolic alterations such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in prepubertal and pubertal children, independently of BMI. These results must be considered when designing prevention and treatment strategies of obesity and its complications.

Introduction:Insulin resistance (IR) is the major driver for the development of obesity-associated metabolic and cardiovascular complications. It is well known that IR increase physiologically during puberty; hence, pubertal maturation might favour this metabolic risk in obese children. Recently, a study carried out in adult women with obesity has identified a new adipokine, known as S100A4, strongly associated with IR and inflammation in adipose tissue. On the contrary, little is known about the implication of S100A4 in the development of such metabolic disturbances during the onset and course of pubertal development.Materials and methods:A longitudinal study was conducted on 53 Spanish girls distributed in six experimental conditions according to their obesity and IR status (before (T0) and after (T1) the onset of puberty). Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were evaluated in all samples and time points. Classification of pubertal stage was made according to the Tanner scale. S100A4 protein levels were quantified by ELISA CSB-EL02032HU in plasma samples (Cusabio Biotech, Wuhan, China). The statistical analysis of the results was carried out with the “nlme” package in R v3.4.4, using a mixed-effects linear model with random intercept and slope.Results:At a significance level of alpha = 0.05, a linear mixed-effects model reported a significant association (P = 0.03) between the interaction term “time*experimental group” and S100A4 levels. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons between experimental groups revealed a strong association between a worsening/improvement of the IR status and the increase/decrease of S100A4 levels (yielding significant results for 5 of the 15 comparisons (P = 0.008, P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P = 0.04 and P = 0.02)). Furthermore, a multiple linear regression model reported a positive correlation between the increase in S100A4 levels and the increase in HOMA values during the course of puberty (B = 6.03, SE = 2.66 and P = 0.028).Discussion:The S100A4 protein is strongly associated with the development of IR in girls with childhood obesity and this association is accentuated during pubertal development. Increase in S100A4 levels could be one of the molecular mechanisms by which pubertal maturation favour an increased metabolic risk in children with obesity.

Introduction:Hypertension is a public health problem and its prevalence in children is on the rise, often continuing into adulthood and increasing the risk related cardiovascular complications. Sleep plays an essential role in children's growth and several studies suggest that insufficient sleep duration is associated with hypertension in adults. However, few studies have evaluated this association in children. Thus, the aim of the study is to ascertain whether the sleep duration is a risk factor for elevated blood pressure (BP) in children.Methods:We studied 776 children (5–18 years old), (46.7% male, 78.8% 5–13 years, 73.6% overweight/obesity). Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BP was measured with an electronic manometer to find a 25.3% of children with an elevated systolic BP (SBP, > P90th) and 14% with an elevated diastolic BP (DBP, > P90th) (Task Force 2017). Sleep duration was assessed by asking the parents “¿How many hours does your child sleep in a typical weekday?”. Weekday sleep hours were considered since they are more representative of children's routines than weekend hours. Hours were converted into a dichotomous variable based on the fulfillment or not of the “Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth recommendations”: 9–11 hours for 5- to 13-year-olds; 8–10 hours for 14- to 17-year-olds.A spearman correlation analysis was performed between sleep duration, SBP and DBP. Then, a general linear model analysis adjusted for BMI Z-score was done to evaluate differences in SBP and DBP between children following the sleep recommendations. Analyses were stratified by sex and age range (5–13 and 14–17).Results:In girls 5–13 years, we found a significant negative correlation between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.226, p = 0.000) and between sleep and systolic BP (r = -0.188, p = 0.001). Girls 5–13 years not following sleep recommendations showed significantly higher SBP values than those who followed the recommendations (112 ± 11 mmHg vs. 106 ± 12 mmHg, p = 0.007), independently of BMI. No significant differences were observed in girls 14–17 years nor in males.Discussion:In the present study, we show that girls 5–13 years with shorter sleep duration show increased SBP values independently of BMI, in contrast to previous studies which showed similar associations that disappeared when adjusting for BMI. Our results support the need for wider strategies in population education so that sleep recommendations are followed by children in the general population.

IntroductionObesity is known to be associated with a low-grade inflammatory state. Most studies reporting inflammation in obesity have been done in pubertal children or adults or have focused only on the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the classical inflammatory markers. Nerve growth factor (NGF), monocyte chemoattractant protein–1 (MCP-1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are adipokines previously shown to be involved in the inflammatory context of obesity and metabolic syndrome but few studies have been conducted in children.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between NGF, MCP-1, HGF with total and abdominal adiposity and in prepubertal and pubertal children.Methods889 children participated in a prospective obesity case-control study (50.2% males, 72% prepubertals, 27% overweight and 43% obesity), paired by age and sex. The relationship between total fat (assessed using the BMI, the sum of skinfolds thickness (SF) and fat mass index (FMI) from bioelectrical impedance analysis and waist circumference as a surrogate marker of abdominal obesity) and plasma concentrations of MCP-1, HGF, and NGF was studied in prepubertal and pubertal children.Linear regression analysis for prepubertal and pubertal children, adjusting for age, sex and center was used.ResultsNGF was associated with WC, with a stronger association in prepubertal than in pubertal children. MCP-1 was positively associated with WC, SF, FMI and BMI in pubertal children whereas HGF was positively associated with WC and BMI only in prepubertal children. The strongest associations were between WC and NGF (β 0.123 95%CI 0.133, 0.709; p < 0.001) in prepubertal children and WC and MCP-1 (β 0.123 95%CI 0.438, 2.035; p < 0.001) in pubertal children.DiscussionTotal and abdominal adiposity are related to plasma concentrations of adipokines in prepubertal and pubertal children with obesity. Adipokines such as NGF, HGF and MCP-1 have not been so well studied so far in obese children. Particularly, NGF was associated with WC and BMI in prepubertal children and with WC in pubertal children. The association between this neurotrophin, secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the development and survival of sympathetic neurons, with adiposity, especially in prepubertal children, could suggest an anti-inflammatory mechanism and thus be a potential therapeutic target.Conflict of interestNone

Introduction:Childhood obesity is considered one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity-associated inflammation could be one of the mechanisms that triggers insulin resistance that could drive systemic alterations such as metabolic disorder. Recently, circulating levels of S100A4 has been associated with insulin resistance and subcutaneuous white adipose tissue inflammation independently of body mass index (BMI) in a cohort of obese adults. Nonetheless, the link between S100A4 and insulin resistance in children is still not known yet. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine if S100A4 plasma levels were associated with insulin resistance status in a cohort of prepuberal children.Material and methods:In this case-control multicentre study, 250 prepuberal children took part and were stratified in six groups according to sex, obesity stage and insulin resistance status. Blood samples were withdrawn in resting conditions after an overnight fasting. Anthropometric measurements and a routine biochemical analyses were performed. Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated using fasting plasma glucose and insulin values. S100A4 plasma levels were determined by ELISA CSBEL02032HU (Cusabio Biotech, Wuhan, China).Results:A lineal multiple regresión (α = 0.05) identified a significative association between S100A4 plasma levels and HOMA-IR in the cohort; each HOMA-IR increasing unit correlated with an increase of 0.008mg/dL in S100A4 plasma levels. (SE = 0.003 and p = 0.02). Moreover, we also observed a positive significative association between S100A4 plasma levels and glucose blood levels (p = 0.005) and BMI (p = 0.008). Inter-group comparations analyses revealed significative differences between normal-weight and insulino-resistant obese boys (p = 0.024). The same result was obtained between normal-weight and insulino-resistant obese girls (p = 0.04), finding a higher S100A4 concentration in insulino- resistant children. As expected, plasma S100A4 levels were also higher in obese children versus normal-weight children (p = 0.02).Discussion:These data could be clinical relevant due to the possible potential of S100A4 protein as a new circulating biomarker of resistance insulin in a cohort of prepuberal children. These results are supported by other studies in obese adults and adolescents. In conclusion, these results suggest that S100A4 is associated with obesity and insulin resistance in prepuberal children. However, more studies are needed to study the implication and mechanism of this protein in the development of insulin resistance.

Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) may induce significant metabolic and inflammatory anomalies, increasing the risk of obesity and CVD later in life. Similarly, alterations in the adipose tissue may lead to metabolic changes in children with a history of extra-uterine growth restriction (EUGR). These mechanisms may induce alterations in immune response during early life. The aim of the present study was to compare pro-inflammatory markers in prepubertal EUGR children with those in a reference population. A total of thirty-eight prepubertal children with a history of EUGR and a reference group including 123 healthy age- and sex-matched children were selected. Perinatal data were examined. In the prepubertal stage, the concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers were measured in both groups. The serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and plasma concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein type 1 (MCP-1), neural growth factor, TNF-α and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 were determined. The plasma concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers CRP, HGF, IL-8, MCP-1 and TNF-α were higher in the EUGR group than in the reference group (P

Changes in paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activities have been observed in a variety of diseases involving oxidative stress, such as CVD. However, its role in obesity has not been fully established. In the present study, we aimed (1) to genotype sixteen PON1 SNP, (2) to measure serum PON1 activities and (3) to correlate these findings with the incidence of childhood obesity and related traits. We conducted a case–control study of 189 normal-weight and 179 obese prepubertal children, and we measured four different PON1 activities: lactonase; paraoxonase; arylesterase; diazoxonase. Although none of these activities was significantly different between the obese and normal-weight children, lactonase activity was found to be positively correlated with HDL-cholesterol and ApoA1 levels and negatively correlated with myeloperoxidase and fatty acid-binding protein 4 levels. Among the sixteen genotyped PON1 SNP, only the intronic SNP rs854566 exhibited a significant association with obesity (OR 0·61, 95 % CI 0·41, 0·91; P= 0·016). This genetic variant was also associated with increased diazoxonase, lactonase and arylesterase activities and decreased paraoxonase activity. Other genetic variants exhibited different association patterns with serum activities based on their location within the PON1 gene, and SNP that were located within the promoter were strongly associated with lactonase, arylesterase and diazoxonase activities. The functional variant Q192R exhibited the greatest effect on paraoxonase activity (P= 5·88 × 10− 42). In conclusion, SNP rs854566 was negatively associated with childhood obesity and with increased serum PON1 activities in prepubertal children. We determined that lactonase is a reliable indicator of PON1 activities and should be included in future studies of PON1 function.

ObjectiveTo assess classical and non-classical metabolic risk biomarkers in prepubertal children with different levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).DesignCRF was assessed by the 20 m shuttle run test. To estimate physical activity, participants were observed while engaged in an after-school programme. Additionally, a short test based on a validated questionnaire was used to obtain information about physical activity practice and sedentary habits. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and classical and non-traditional metabolic risk biomarkers – plasma lipid profile, glucose and insulin, homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), plasma uric acid, transaminases and C-reactive protein (CRP) – were measured.SettingThe study was conducted in local elementary schools in Córdoba, Spain.SubjectsOne hundred and forty-one healthy children (eighty-eight boys, fifty-three girls) aged 7–12 years, in Tanner stage I, were recruited. They were divided into two groups after they performed the 20 m shuttle run test: equal or higher cardiovascular fitness (EHCF) group and low cardiovascular fitness (LCF) group.ResultsThe LCF group displayed significantly higher TAG (P = 0·004) and lower HDL cholesterol levels (P = 0·001), as well as significantly lower values for the non-traditional lipid marker apo-A1 (P = 0·001) compared with the EHCF group. The LCF children displayed higher plasma glucose (P = 0·003) and insulin levels, higher HOMA-IR scores (P < 0·001) and higher plasma uric acid and CRP levels (P < 0·05). After adjustment for BMI, age and sex, no statistically significant differences were found between groups for the biomarkers analysed.ConclusionsThe study provides new information to understand the role not only of weight status but also of the level of CRF on the metabolic health profile of prepubertal children.

Obese patients typically show a pattern of dyslipidaemia and changes in plasma fatty acid composition reflecting abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism and dietary habits. Animals and obese adults have been widely studied; however, contradictory results have been published in children. The objective was to assess changes in plasma fatty acid composition in total plasma lipids and plasma lipid fractions in obese prepubertal children compared with those of normal weight and to evaluate changes in postprandial plasma fatty acids during a 3 h period after intake of a standardised breakfast. The study was a case–control study with thirty-four obese and twenty normal-weight prepubertal children (Tanner 1). Anthropometric and metabolic variables and fatty acid concentrations were measured in plasma and its fractions. Liquid chromatography was used to separate lipid fractions and GLC to quantify fatty acids. Plasma total fatty acids (TFA), SFA, MUFA and PUFA concentrations were higher in obese than in control children. Except for 18 : 0, 18 : 3n-3, 20 : 4n-6 andn-3 PUFA, all fatty acids in TAG were also elevated in the obese group. Fatty acids 16 : 1n-7, 18 : 0, 18 : 1n-9, 20 : 2n-6, TFA and MUFA significantly decreased between the 2nd and 3rd hour in normal-weight v. obese children. The concentration of 16 : 1n-7 was positively and the proportion of 20 : 4n-6 inversely associated with a significant increase in risk of obesity. Obese prepubertal children show an altered plasma fatty acid profile and concentrations, mainly related to the TAG fatty acid profile, with a lower clearance of fatty acids v. normal-weight prepubertal children.