Dyslipidemia, subclinical inflammation, hepatic cholestasis and endothelial dysfunction in schoolchildren with excess fat: A study from the United Arab Emirates

BackgroundThe impact of obesity on cardiovascular health of young children is still to be fully illustrated. This study measured biomarkers for glycemic control, lipid metabolism, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and hepatic cholestasis in schoolchildren. Its main purpose was to determine whether metabolic derangements could be detected in young children with excess fat.MethodThis cross-sectional study involved 967 children in the second, sixth, and tenth grades (median age, 7.3, 11.3, and 15.4 years, respectively). Using the International Obesity Task Force interpretation (IOTF) of body-mass-index (BMI), children were stratified as thin (th centiles), overweight (85th to th centiles), obese (95th to th centiles), or extremely-obese (≥98th centiles). Waist circumference was also measured. Several metabolic determinations were then used as surrogate biomarkers for cardiovascular risks.ResultsPrevalence of BMI≥85th centile among the second graders was 13.1%, sixth graders 42.2%, and tenth graders 33.8%. BMI≥85th centile was associated with a tendency for higher hemoglobin A1c (p≥0.160) and higher blood glucose (p≥0.197). For the second graders, BMI≥85th centile was associated with higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, pppp≤0.024), and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL, pth centile was associated with higher gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT, pth centile was insignificantly changed with sICAM-1 or the soluble vascular cytoadhesive molecule-1 (sVCAM-1).ConclusionsThe studied children with excess fat had increased risks for developing systemic inflammation, dyslipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, cholestasis, and diabetes. These results suggest that metabolic biomarkers should be included in the routine assessment of children with an overweight problem.