Relationship Between Parental Obesity, Body Mass Index and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in Offspring

Childhood obesity has been associated with high levels of systemic inflammation, increasing the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases throughout life. Genetic and environmental factors, such as parental body mass index (BMI), can influence this relationship, impacting the inflammatory health of offspring from childhood. This study investigates the influence of parental BMI on the relationship between BMI and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in offspring. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 423 children and adolescents from a municipality in southern Brazil. Offspring BMI was calculated using measured weight and height, while parental BMI was determined from self-reported measurements and classified based on World Health Organization cutoff points. hs-CRP levels were assessed using a high-sensitivity assay. The moderating effect of parental BMI on the relationship between offspring BMI and hs-CRP levels was analyzed through multiple linear regression models using the PROCESS macro extension for SPSS. Results indicated a direct association between offspring BMI and hs-CRP levels across all models, showing that hs-CRP levels increased linearly with BMI in offspring. A direct relationship between paternal obesity and offspring hs-CRP levels was observed, along with a significant inverse interaction between paternal BMI and offspring BMI with hs-CRP levels. Among schoolchildren with lower BMI, those with parents with obesity exhibited higher hs-CRP levels compared to peers with parents classified as eutrophic or overweight. These findings suggest that children of parents with obesity tend to have elevated levels of inflammation, regardless of their own BMI.