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Insulin sensitivity is reduced in children with high body-fat regardless of BMI

Timothy J Fairchild1, Heidi Klakk2,3, Malene Heidemann4

  • 1School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia. t.fairchild@murdoch.edu.au.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|March 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

High body fat percentage in children is linked to lower insulin sensitivity, even in normal weight individuals. Cardiorespiratory fitness helps but doesn't fully resolve these negative effects on metabolic health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Health
  • Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Background:

  • Childhood obesity and adiposity are growing concerns with potential long-term health implications.
  • Insulin resistance is a key metabolic dysfunction often associated with excess adiposity.
  • Understanding the interplay between body composition, insulin sensitivity, and fitness in children is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between insulin sensitivity and adiposity in children.
  • To stratify children by body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%).
  • To determine if cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) mitigates adverse associations between adiposity and insulin sensitivity.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.
  • Inclusion of children aged 7.7-13.4 years from Denmark.
  • Assessment of CRF via Andersen test, BF% by DXA, and insulin sensitivity using HOMA-IR.

Main Results:

  • Children with normal BMI but high BF% exhibited significantly higher insulin and HOMA-IR scores.
  • Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) partially reduced, but did not eliminate, the negative impact of high BF% on insulin sensitivity.
  • Longitudinally, high BF% was consistently associated with poorer insulin sensitivity, irrespective of BMI status.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated body fat percentage in children is a significant independent risk factor for reduced insulin sensitivity.
  • Even children with normal weight (by BMI) can have impaired insulin sensitivity if they have high body fat.
  • While CRF is beneficial, it does not fully counteract the detrimental effects of excess adiposity on insulin sensitivity in pediatric populations.
Abstract

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