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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Obesity, leptin and blood pressure among children in Taiwan: the Taipei Children's Heart Study
1Department of Public Health, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. chuepi@ndmctsgh.edu.tw
Insights
Obesity is linked to high blood pressure (BP) in children. While plasma leptin correlates with BP, its role in obesity-related hypertension remains unclear in this age group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Obesity is a known risk factor for hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
- Leptin, a hormone linked to obesity, is implicated in various metabolic disorders.
- The relationship between leptin and blood pressure in children requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma leptin levels and blood pressure (BP) in a cohort of children.
- To explore potential correlations between obesity indicators, leptin, and BP in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey involving 1265 children (aged 12-16 years) using multistage sampling.
- Obesity was assessed using body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
- Plasma leptin levels were quantified via radioimmunoassay.
Main Results:
- Children in higher leptin quintiles exhibited elevated body weight, BMI, WHR, BP, and insulin levels.
- Both BMI and plasma leptin showed a significant positive correlation with BP across genders.
- Multivariate analysis revealed that the leptin-BP association weakened or reversed after adjusting for BMI, particularly in boys.
Conclusions:
- Obesity is positively associated with elevated BP in Taiwanese school children.
- The specific role of plasma leptin in the development of obesity-related hypertension among children remains a subject of debate and requires further research.
Background:
Obesity is associated with the occurrence of hypertension; however, the mechanisms of obesity-induced high blood pressure (BP) remain unclear. Leptin, the obese (ob) gene product, is associated with the occurrence of obesity and related disorders in humans. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between plasma leptin and BP among children.
Methods:
After multistage sampling, we randomly selected 1265 children (618 boys and 647 girls) with a mean age of 13.3 years (12 to 16 years old) in this cross-sectional survey. Obesity measurements included body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WHR). Plasma leptin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay.
Results:
The mean and median plasma leptin levels were 4.1 and 2.4 ng/mL among boys and 10.1 and 8.8 ng/mL among girls. Children in the highest quintile of leptin level (mean, 11.1 and 19.7 ng/mL for boys and girls, respectively) had higher body weight, BMI, WHR, BP, and insulin levels than children in the lowest quintile (mean, 1.1 and 3.9 ng/mL for boys and girls, respectively). Boys had a higher BMI, WHR, and BP levels, yet had lower leptin levels than girls. In both genders, BMI and plasma leptin levels were significantly positively correlated with BP. In multivariate regression analyses, plasma leptin levels were positively associated with BP; however, this association became insignificant among girls and even inversely associated with systolic BP among boys after adjusting for BMI.
Conclusions:
Obesity is positively associated with BP among school children in Taiwan; however, the role of plasma leptin on the development of obesity-related hypertension is still controversial among school children.
