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The Relationship between Serum Zonulin Level and Clinical and Laboratory Parameters of Childhood Obesity

Tuncay Küme, Sezer Acar, Hale Tuhan

¹Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, İzmir, Turkey Phone: +90 232 412 60 76

Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology

|December 24, 2016

Insights

Childhood obesity is linked to higher zonulin levels, a marker of gut permeability. This study suggests zonulin may play a role in obesity development and related metabolic issues in children.

Area of Science:

Pediatric Endocrinology
Metabolic Disorders
Gastroenterology

Background:

Childhood obesity is a growing global health concern.
Obesity is associated with metabolic disturbances, including insulin resistance.
Intestinal permeability, indicated by zonulin levels, is increasingly recognized as a factor in metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the association between zonulin levels and clinical and laboratory markers in obese children.
To explore the relationship between zonulin, insulin resistance, and leptin in pediatric obesity.

Main Methods:

A cross-sectional study comparing obese children (BMI >95th percentile) with healthy controls.
Measurement of various clinical parameters (BMI, blood pressure, body fat percentage) and biochemical markers (glucose, insulin, lipids, zonulin, leptin).

Main Results:

Obese children exhibited significantly higher levels of insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, zonulin, and leptin compared to healthy children.
No significant difference in glucose levels was observed between the groups.
Zonulin levels correlated negatively with HDL-C and positively with leptin levels in obese children, after adjusting for age and BMI.

Conclusions:

This study is the first to investigate circulating zonulin in relation to insulin resistance and leptin in childhood obesity.
Elevated zonulin levels in obese children suggest a potential role in the pathogenesis of obesity and associated metabolic dysregulation.
Zonulin may serve as a biomarker for intestinal permeability and metabolic disturbances in pediatric obesity.

Read full analysis

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the relationship between zonulin levels and clinical and laboratory parameters of childhood obesity.

Methods:

The study included obese children with a body mass index (BMI) >95^th percentile and healthy children who were of similar age and gender distribution. Clinical (BMI, waist circumferences, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold, percentage of body fat, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure) and biochemical (glucose, insulin, lipid levels, thyroid function tests, cortisol, zonulin and leptin levels) parameters were measured.

Results:

A total of 43 obese subjects (23 males, mean age: 11.1±3.1 years) and 37 healthy subjects (18 males, mean age: 11.5±3.5 years) were included in this study. Obese children had significantly higher insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), zonulin and leptin levels than healthy children (p<0.05), while glucose levels were not different (p>0.05). Comparison of the obese children with and without insulin resistance showed no statistically significant differences for zonulin levels (p>0.05). Zonulin levels were found to negatively correlate with HDL-C and positively correlate with leptin levels, after adjusting for age and BMI.

Conclusion:

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the relationship between circulating zonulin level (as a marker of intestinal permeability) and insulin resistance and leptin (as markers of metabolic disturbances associated with obesity) in childhood obesity. The results showed that zonulin was significantly higher in obese children when compared to healthy children, a finding indicating a potential role of zonulin in the etiopathogenesis of obesity and related disturbances.

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