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Antioxidant enzymes activities in obese Tunisian children
Sonia Sfar1, Raoudha Boussoffara, Mohamed Tahar Sfar
1Unité de recherche «Eléments trace, radicaux libres, systèmes antioxydants et pathologies humaines», Faculté de médecine de Monastir, Université de Monastir, rue Avicenne, 5019 Monastir, Tunisia. sonia_sfar@yahoo.fr
Insights
Obese children show increased oxidant stress, indicated by higher Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity, even at a young age. This suggests childhood obesity is an independent risk factor for free radical production.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Oxidative Stress Research
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Oxidant stress is linked to obesity and disease pathogenesis.
- It arises from increased free radical formation or compromised antioxidant defenses.
- Childhood obesity is a growing concern with potential long-term health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the antioxidant response to obesity-related oxidative stress in healthy children.
- To compare enzymatic antioxidant levels between obese children and normal-weight controls.
Main Methods:
- Study included 106 healthy children (ages 6-12), with 54 obese and 52 controls.
- Collected data: anthropometrics, blood pressure, glucose, lipids, and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx).
Main Results:
- Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly higher in obese children (p<0.05).
- Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Catalase (CAT) enzyme activities were not significantly different.
- Higher total cholesterol in obese children showed no significant association with SOD activity.
Conclusions:
- Obesity-induced oxidant stress is detectable in childhood.
- Childhood obesity is an independent risk factor for increased free radical production.
- Early identification of oxidative stress in obese children is crucial for preventative strategies.
Background:
The oxidant stress, expected to increase in obese adults, has an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. It results when free radical formation is greatly increased or protective antioxidant mechanisms are compromised. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant response to obesity-related stress in healthy children.
Methods:
A hundred and six healthy children (54 obese and 52 controls), aged 6-12 years old, participated in this study. The collected data included anthropometric measures, blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and enzymatic antioxidants (Superoxide dismutase: SOD, Catalase: CAT and Glutathione peroxidase: GPx).
Results:
The first step antioxidant response, estimated by the SOD activity, was significantly higher in obese children compared with normal-weight controls (p < 0.05). Mean activities of anti-radical GPx and CAT enzymes were not affected by the BMI increase. Although, total cholesterol levels were statistically higher in the obese group, there was no significant association with the SOD activity.
Conclusions:
The obesity-related increase of the oxidant stress can be observed even in the childhood period. In addition to the complications of an increased BMI, obesity itself can be considered as an independent risk factor of free radical production resulting in an increased antioxidant response.
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