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Is fasting insulin associated with blood pressure in obese children?
L Iughetti1, G Bedogni, M Ferrari
1University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Insights
This study found no clinically significant link between fasting insulin and blood pressure in obese children. While insulin levels were slightly higher in hypertensive children, the association was not meaningful after accounting for other factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Health in Children
- Metabolic Syndrome Research
Background:
- Obesity in children is a growing concern, often linked to metabolic and cardiovascular issues.
- Elevated insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) are associated with metabolic disturbances and hypertension in adults.
- The relationship between insulin and blood pressure in pediatric obesity requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between fasting insulin levels and blood pressure in a large cohort of obese children.
- To determine if insulin resistance plays a significant role in hypertension among pediatric obesity.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 350 obese children (mean age 10.1 years) was studied.
- Obesity defined as relative weight for age > 120%; hypertension defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 95th percentile for age, adjusted for height.
- Fasting insulin levels were measured and compared between hypertensive and normotensive groups.
Main Results:
- Insulin levels were significantly higher in hypertensive obese children (16 microU/mL) compared to normotensive ones (14 microU/mL) (p < 0.01).
- However, this difference was not clinically relevant.
- Log-transformed insulin explained only 7% of SBP and 4% of DBP variance (p < 0.0001).
- This association disappeared after adjusting for age, weight, and other anthropometric factors (p = ns).
Conclusions:
- The study does not support a clinically relevant association between fasting insulin and blood pressure in obese children.
- Insulin levels alone are not a strong predictor of hypertension in this population.
- Further research may explore other metabolic factors contributing to hypertension in pediatric obesity.
Primary Objective:
We tested whether fasting insulin levels are associated with blood pressure in a large sample of obese children.
Subjects And Methods:
Three hundred and fifty obese children (F:M ratio = 1.03) of 10.1 +/- 2.7 y of age (mean +/- SD) were consecutively enrolled at an Outpatient Paediatric Clinic. Obesity was diagnosed on the basis of a relative weight for age > 120% and hypertension on the basis of a systolic (SBP) or diastolic (DBP) blood pressure > 95th percentile for age after adjustment for height (Ht).
Main Outcome And Results:
Insulin was significantly higher in hypertensive (n = 202, 58%) than normotensive (n = 148, 42%) children (16 vs 14 microU mL(-1), geometric mean, p < 0.01, ANOVA) but the difference was not clinically relevant. Moreover, (log-transformed) insulin explained only 7 and 4% of SBP and DBP variance, respectively (p < 0.0001 for both) and this contribution disappeared after the confounding effects of age, weight or other anthropometric dimensions were taken into account (p = ns, ANCOVA).
Conclusions:
This study does not support the hypothesis of a clinically relevant association between fasting insulin and blood pressure in obese children.