Obesity, inflammation and metabolic syndrome in Danish adolescents

To describe biomarkers of inflammation and markers related to the metabolic syndrome (MS) in healthy obese Danish adolescent and compare to a normal-weight group.

Fifty-one obese and 30 normal-weight adolescents (12-15 years) were included. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured, and blood was sampled.

Obese adolescents had significantly higher blood pressure, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, C-peptide, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglyceride, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values, compared with normal-weight adolescents, whereas there were no differences between the groups for glucose, free fatty acids or faecal calprotectin. Within the obese group insulin, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and CRP were positively associated with body mass index (BMI) Z-scores. The MS was present in 14% of obese adolescents. CRP was positively associated with most anthropometric measures within the obese group, and in multiple linear regression analysis both BMI Z-score and the sum of skin folds explained a considerable part (R(2) = 0.421) of the variation in CRP.

Otherwise healthy Danish obese adolescents had marked low-grade inflammation, elevated biomarkers of the MS and high prevalence of the MS.