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Nutritional Status Influences Oxidative Stress and Insulin Resistance in Preschool Children

Claudia Erika Fuentes-Venado1,2,3, Guadalupe Terán-Pérez4, Victor Manuel Espinosa-Hernández5,6

  • 1Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud-Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, Mexico.

Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
|July 27, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Childhood malnutrition, particularly obesity, is linked to metabolic and oxidative stress (OS) issues. Early intervention is crucial to prevent long-term health problems in preschool children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Biochemistry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Child malnutrition poses significant public health challenges with lasting physiological and social consequences.
  • Nutritional status profoundly impacts children's health, influencing metabolic and oxidative stress markers.
  • Understanding these impacts is vital for developing effective interventions in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between nutritional status and oxidative stress (OS) markers in children aged 3-6 years.
  • To compare OS markers across different weight categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity.
  • To identify specific metabolic and OS disturbances associated with varying degrees of malnutrition in young children.

Main Methods:

  • Children were classified into four nutritional status groups: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity.
  • Key metabolic markers (glucose, cholesterol, insulin, triacylglycerols, TyG index, HOMA-IR) were analyzed.
  • Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, 3-nitrotyrosine) and antioxidant defense markers (superoxide dismutase, catalase, GSH/GSSG ratio) were quantified.

Main Results:

  • Obese children exhibited elevated malondialdehyde (MDA), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) compared to normal-weight children.
  • Metabolic markers, OS markers (MDA, 3-NT), and SOD positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and CDC percentiles (CDC PC).
  • Antioxidant markers (catalase, GSH/GSSG ratio) showed negative correlations with BMI and CDC PC, with specific variations observed in underweight and overweight groups.

Conclusions:

  • Malnutrition, especially obesity, is strongly associated with metabolic and oxidative stress disturbances in preschool-aged children.
  • These findings highlight the critical need for preventative strategies targeting malnutrition during early development.
  • Addressing malnutrition in early childhood is essential for mitigating future co-morbidities and improving long-term health outcomes.

Keywords:
childreninsulin resistancemalnutritionobesityoverweightoxidative stressunderweight

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