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Comparison between School-Age Children with and without Obesity in Nutritional and Inflammation Biomarkers
Eias Kassem1,2, Wasef Na'amnih3, Maanit Shapira2,4
1Department of Pediatrics, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera 3810101, Israel.
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to poorer nutritional and inflammation markers. Overweight and obese children showed lower iron and HDL-C, but higher CRP and uric acid, indicating metabolic issues may begin in childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Nutritional Biomarkers
- Inflammation Markers
Background:
- Childhood obesity presents a significant global health challenge.
- Understanding the associated nutritional and inflammatory profiles is crucial for early intervention.
- Metabolic syndrome risks in children require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare nutritional and inflammation biomarkers between normal weight and overweight/obese children.
- To identify specific biomarkers associated with excess weight in children.
- To explore the early onset of metabolic disturbances in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 146 healthy children aged 10-12 years in Israel.
- Data collection included sociodemographic information, health status, anthropometric measurements, and blood sample analysis.
- Biomarkers assessed included complete blood count, iron, ferritin, lipids (HDL-C, LDL-C), uric acid, and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Main Results:
- 42.3% of participants were classified as obese and 14.1% as overweight.
- Overweight and obese children exhibited significantly lower levels of iron and HDL-C compared to normal weight children.
- Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid, LDL-C, and lymphocytes were observed in overweight and obese children.
Conclusions:
- Overweight and obese children demonstrate an unfavorable nutritional and metabolic biomarker profile.
- The identified biomarkers are implicated in metabolic syndrome development.
- Findings suggest that metabolic syndrome may originate during childhood, underscoring the need for early detection and management strategies.
Abstract:
Childhood obesity is a major health problem. We examined differences between children with obesity and normal weight in nutritional and inflammation biomarkers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthy children aged 10-12 years from Arab villages in Israel. Parents were interviewed regarding sociodemographic and children's health status. Body weight and height measurements were performed and weight categories were defined using the 2007 WHO growth curves. Blood samples were tested for complete blood count, levels of iron, ferritin, lipids, uric acid, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Overall, 146 children (59.0% males, mean age = 11.3 [SD = 0.5]) were enrolled. In total 43.8%, 14.1% and 42.3% of the participants had normal weight, overweight and obesity, respectively. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that children with overweight and obesity had lower iron, and HDL-C levels than children with normal weight. Levels of CRP, uric acid, LDL-C and lymphocytes were higher among children with overweight and obesity. In conclusion, our findings highlight the worse metabolic and nutritional status in overweight and obese children. Such markers play a role in metabolic syndrome, thus suggesting that metabolic syndrome might start in childhood.
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