Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate possible correlations between apelin-12 levels and obesity in children in China and associations between apelin-12 and obesity-related markers, including lipids, insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR).MethodsForty-eight obese and forty non-obese age- and gender-matched Chinese children were enrolled between June 2008 and June 2009. Mean age was 10.42±2.03 and 10.86±2.23 years in obesity and control groups, respectively. Main outcome measures were apelin-12, BMI, lipids, glucose and insulin. HOMA-IR was calculated for all subjects.ResultsAll obesity group subjects had significantly higher total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), insulin levels and HOMA-IR (all P<0.05). In separate analyses, obese girls had significantly higher LDL-C, insulin and HOMA-IR than controls, and obese boys had significantly higher TC, TG, insulin and HOMA-IR than controls (all P<0.05). Apelin-12 levels were significantly higher in obese girls compared to controls (P = 0.024), and correlated positively with TG in all obese subjects. Among obese girls, apelin-12 levels correlated positively with TG, insulin and HOMA-IR after adjusting for age and BMI. In all boys (obese and controls) apelin-12 was positively associated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG). No significant correlations were found in either group between apelin-12 levels and other characteristics after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI.ConclusionsApelin-12 levels are significantly higher in obese vs. non-obese girls in China and correlate significantly with obesity-related markers insulin, HOMA-IR, and TG. Increased apelin-12 levels may be involved in the pathological mechanism of childhood obesity.
Highlights
The rapidly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has alarmed public health agencies, healthcare clinicians and researchers, and the general public globally [1]
No significant differences were found in apelin-12 levels between obese and non-obese groups. (Table 1)
The present study analyzed the data of obese and non-obese children in Guangzhou, China, aiming to determine whether correlations could be found between apelin-12 levels of the groups and obesity in this population and to identify associations, if any, between apelin-12 and obesity-related markers, especially lipids, insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance index
Summary
The rapidly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has alarmed public health agencies, healthcare clinicians and researchers, and the general public globally [1]. In China, the prevalence of obesity and overweight among children was 2% and 5%, respectively, in the 1980s; in 2002, 155 million children worldwide were overweight or obese, including 12 million in China [2]. Obesity in childhood is associated with a variety of metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance [4], dyslipidemia [5], hyperglycemia [6], type 2 diabetes mellitus [7], and risk of cardiovascular complications [8]. Understanding childhood obesity is critical in order to reduce its incidence and the development of related metabolic disorders
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