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The metabolic consequences of childhood obesity

Ram Weiss1, Sonia Caprio

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and the Children's General Clinical Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 802064, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. sonia.caprio@yale.edu

Best Practice & Research. Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
|September 10, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obesity is rising globally, leading to early impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and insulin resistance in young people. These metabolic issues contribute to metabolic syndrome, increasing long-term health risks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity prevalence is increasing worldwide.
  • Obesity is associated with co-morbidities, including altered glucose metabolism.
  • Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and insulin resistance are early indicators in obese youth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the early metabolic alterations in obese children and adolescents.
  • To understand the relationship between lipid deposition, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome components.
  • To highlight the early presence of metabolic syndrome elements in obese youth.

Main Methods:

  • The study focuses on the clinical presentation and metabolic characteristics of obese children and adolescents.
  • It analyzes the association between lipid deposition (visceral and muscle) and peripheral insulin resistance.
  • It reviews the co-occurrence and progression of metabolic syndrome elements with increasing obesity.

Main Results:

  • Obese youth with IGT exhibit significant peripheral insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction.
  • Lipid deposition in muscle and visceral areas, not just overall adiposity, drives insulin resistance.
  • Dyslipidemia, hypertension, and low-grade inflammation are present in obese youngsters and worsen with obesity severity.

Conclusions:

  • Early metabolic syndrome components are evident in obese children and adolescents.
  • Insulin resistance, driven by lipid deposition, is a key factor in the metabolic syndrome of youth.
  • The long-term cardiovascular and liver health impacts of childhood obesity-related insulin resistance are a growing concern.

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