Abstract
Objective To compare the total and differential leukocyte count in obese and normal-weight adolescents, and to verify their possible relations with cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity indicators.Methods A cross-sectional study conducted with 139 adolescents (107 obese and 32 normal weight) aged between 13 and 18 years. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by direct gas analysis during an incremental treadmill test. Total leukocytes and subsets were estimated by flow cytometry. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The t-test for independent samples was used for comparison between groups. The relation between leukocytes, cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity indicators was verified by Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression (adjusted for age and body mass index) tests.Results Obese adolescents had higher leukocyte (8.12±2.36u/L x 103; p=0.001), neutrophil (4.33±1.86u/L x 103; p=0.002), and monocyte (0.70±0.22u/L x 103; p=0.002) counts compared to the levels of normal weight subjects. After the necessary adjustments, cardiorespiratory fitness had a negative association with leukocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes in boys.Conclusion Obese adolescents had higher total and differential leucocyte count when compared to normal weight individuals. We also observed a weak positive association between adiposity and total leukocyte, monocyte, and neutrophil counts, and in boys, a negative association between cardiorespiratory fitness and total count of leukocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils.
Highlights
Obesity has become a global epidemic, affecting about 500 million adults.[1]. Excessive adiposity is associated with various cardiometabolic risk factors,(2) which lead to the probability of early death.[3] evidence shows that, in obesity, there is a significant increase in the production of inflammatory markers and that a large part of these cardiometabolic complications could be related to this chronic systemic inflammatory status in obese individuals.[4,5]
Cardiorespiratory fitness has been considered a protective factor against health problems, both in adults[10] and in children and adolescents.[11,12] Prior studies showed an independent negative relation between levels of leukocytes and cardiorespiratory fitness in men[13] and women.[14] despite the fact that cardiometabolic disorders associated with obesity can be triggered during early childhood,(15) little is known about this association in childhood and adolescence
This type of relation was not seen. These were the primary findings of this study: obese adolescents presented with higher total leukocytes and subpopulation counts when compared to their normal weight peers; there was a positive relation between adiposity and total leukocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils; there was a negative association between cardiorespiratory fitness and total leukocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils, only for the boys, regardless of body mass index (BMI) and age
Summary
Obesity has become a global epidemic, affecting about 500 million adults.[1]. Excessive adiposity is associated with various cardiometabolic risk factors (such as glucose intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, and increased systolic blood pressure),(2) which lead to the probability of early death.[3]. Leukocyte count with its subpopulations is a clinical marker of inflammatory processes[6,7] related to cardiometabolic disorders involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases,(8) especially in overweight individuals.[9]. Cardiorespiratory fitness has been considered a protective factor against health problems, both in adults[10] and in children and adolescents.[11,12] Prior studies showed an independent negative relation between levels of leukocytes and cardiorespiratory fitness in men[13] and women.[14] despite the fact that cardiometabolic disorders associated with obesity can be triggered during early childhood,(15) little is known about this association in childhood and adolescence
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