Association between Body Fat and Metabolic Abnormalities in Lebanese Children and Adolescents

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to investigate the relationship between obesity and various components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) among children and adolescents in Lebanon.MethodsA total of 260 children and adolescents (161 obese, 50 overweight, 49 normal weight) were recruited from private and public schools in Lebanon. Anthropometric, biochemical and blood pressure measurements were performed.ResultsThe number of metabolic abnormalities and their clustering increased with obesity. According to the modified Adult Treatment Panel III definition, the MS was identified in 26.4% and 28.4% of obese children and adolescents, respectively, exceeding rates reported from developed countries such as Italy (13.5%; 16.5%) and Spain (18.0%), while being lower than those reported from the United States (48.8%; 42.0%), the United Arab Emirates (44.0%) and Iran (41.9%).The most common abnormalities among obese children and adolescents were elevated waist circumference (83.9%; 90.5%), high triglycerides (TG) (42.5%; 24.3%) and low HDL (33.3%; 40.5%). The TG/HDL ratio appeared as the strongest predictor of the MS (OR=2.24; OR=4.40).ConclusionThis study shows that obese children and adolescents in Lebanon may be at increased risk of metabolic abnormalities. The TG/HDL is a useful tool to predict the clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors in the Lebanese pediatric population.