Increased oxidative stress and altered substrate metabolism in obese children
Stacy R Oliver1, Jaime S Rosa, Ginger L Milne
1Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. soliver@uci.edu
Insights
Pediatric obesity is linked to increased inflammation and oxidative stress, raising cardiovascular disease risk in children. These metabolic changes occur early, affecting both genders similarly.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Cardiovascular health
- Metabolic disorders
Background:
- Pediatric obesity prevalence has risen significantly.
- Obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in adults.
- The biochemical links between childhood obesity, inflammation, and oxidative stress are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate systemic markers of oxidation and inflammation in peripubertal children.
- To examine the relationship between dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation in obese children.
- To assess the influence of gender and fitness on these metabolic and inflammatory markers.
Main Methods:
- Measured systemic oxidation markers (F(2)-isoprostanes, antioxidants) and inflammation markers (interleukin-6, leukocyte counts).
- Assessed metabolic variables including lipids, glucose, and insulin.
- Studied 113 peripubertal children: 55 obese, 15 overweight, and 43 normal weight.
Main Results:
- Obese children showed elevated F(2)-isoprostanes and IL-6 compared to normal-weight children.
- Increased total leukocytes and neutrophils were observed in obese children.
- Obese children exhibited altered levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, glucose, and insulin, irrespective of gender or fitness level.
Conclusions:
- Metabolic control alterations and increased inflammation/oxidative stress are present early in obese children.
- These early changes may increase cardiovascular disease risk in both genders.
- Findings highlight the need for early intervention in pediatric obesity.
Objective:
Pediatric obesity, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, has steadily increased in the last decades. Although excessive inflammation and oxidation are possible biochemical links between obesity and cardiovascular events in adults, little information is available in children. Furthermore, effects of gender and fitness on the interaction between dyslipidemia and oxidative/inflammatory stress in children are mostly unknown.
Methods:
Therefore, we measured systemic markers of oxidation (F(2)-isoprostanes [F(2)-IsoP] and antioxidants) and inflammation (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and leukocyte counts) and metabolic variables in 113 peripubertal children (55 obese [Ob] age and gender-adjusted BMI% ≥ 95(th), 25 Females [F]; 15 overweight [OW] BMI% 85(th)-95(th), 8 F; 43 normoweight [NW] 25 F).
Results:
When compared with NW, Ob displayed elevated F(2)-IsoP (99 ± 7 vs. 75 ± 4 pg/mL, p<0.005), IL-6 (2.2 ± 0.2 vs. 1.5 ± 0.3 pg/mL, p<0.005), elevated total leukocytes and neutrophils, altered levels of total cholesterol , low- and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, glucose, and insulin (all p<0.005). This pattern was present in both genders and over a broad range of fitness in Ob.
Conclusions:
Our data indicate that alterations in metabolic control and a concomitant increase in inflammation and oxidative stress occur early in life in obese children, likely exposing both genders to a similar degree of increased risk of future cardiovascular diseases.
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