[Relationship between body composition and serum thyroid hormone in children aged 8 to 12 years]

Eighty-one children aged 8 to 12 years were divided into three groups, i.e., obese, normal, and thin ones according to their body fat percentage, and serum thyroid hormone, zinc and copper concentrations were determined for them to study relationship between body composition and serum thyroid hormone, zinc and copper. Results indicated serum level of free 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (FT3) was significantly higher in the obese group than in the other two groups, and that in the normal group was higher than that in the thin one. Analysis showed body fat composition correlated with serum FT3 positively. No correlation between body composition, serum thyroid hormone, and serum zinc and copper in children aged 8 to 12 years was observed in this experiment.