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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Differences in body composition and metabolic status between white U.K. and Asian Indian children (EarlyBird 24 and

S Lakshmi1, B Metcalf, C Joglekar

  • 1Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth Campus, UK.

Pediatric Obesity
|September 4, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Asian Indian children exhibit a "thin-fat" phenotype with higher body fat and insulin resistance compared to white UK children, despite lower BMIs. This metabolic profile persists even after adjusting for adiposity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Health
  • Body Composition Analysis

Background:

  • The 'thin-fat' phenotype is recognized in Indian infants but poorly studied in older children.
  • Limited comparative data exists on the metabolic correlates of body composition in Indian versus white children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of body composition on metabolic profiles.
  • To compare Asian Indian and white UK children regarding body fat percentage and metabolic health.

Main Methods:

  • Measured Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, skin-folds, and % body fat (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry).
  • Assessed metabolic markers: glucose, insulin, insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment), lipids, and blood pressure.
  • Included 262 white UK children and 626 Indian children.

Main Results:

  • Indian children had lower BMI, waist circumference, and skin-folds but higher % body fat than white UK children.
  • Indian children exhibited higher fasting glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment), independent of age and % body fat.
  • These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • The 'thin-fat' phenotype is present in pre-pubertal Indian children, characterized by higher adiposity despite lower BMI.
  • Indian children demonstrate increased insulin resistance compared to white UK children, even when accounting for body fat percentage.
Abstract

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