Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #256614
Title: Relation between adiposity and disease risk factors in Mexican American children

Author
item MCFARLIN, BRIAN - University Of Houston
item JOHNSTON, CRAIG - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item TYLER, CHERMAINE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item O'CONNOR, DANIEL - University Of Houston
item STROHACKER, KELLEY - University Of Houston
item REEVES, REBECCA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item JACKSON, ANDREW - University Of Houston
item FOREYT, JOHN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/23/2008
Publication Date: 10/1/2009
Citation: McFarlin, B.K., Johnston, C.A., Tyler, C., O'Connor, D.P., Strohacker, K.A., Reeves, R., Jackson, A.S., Foreyt, J.P. 2009. Relation between adiposity and disease risk factors in Mexican American children. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 49(4):450-455.

Interpretive Summary: Children who are overweight have elevated markers of systemic low-grade inflammation. Low-grade inflammation has been shown to be an independent risk factor for the development of obesity-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease. This study examined the relationship between weight loss and changes in the concentration of certain inflammatory markers. It also examined the relationship between changes in certain inflammatory markers and changes in traditional obesity-related risk factors. The authors hypothesized that weight loss would be associated with an improvement in blood disease risk factors among a group of Mexican American children participating in a school-based weight loss intervention. After 6 months of intervention, those children who reduced their weight demonstrated beneficial reductions in certain risk factors, such as total cholesterol and insulin concentrations. Additionally, children who lost weight reduced certain inflammatory markers to levels similar to children with lower weight at baseline. These changes indicate that childhood weight loss interventions may decrease the risk factors for developing future cardiovascular disease.

Technical Abstract: Excess adiposity is associated with systemic low-grade inflammation, which has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between measures of adiposity and disease risk factors in Mexican American children participating in a weight loss intervention. Boys and girls (N=170; 13.3+/-0.1 year) volunteered for additional testing from a larger study that demonstrated significant reduction in standardized body mass index. Insulin, C-reactive protein, soluble cluster of differentiation 14, glucose, and cholesterol profile were assessed. Linear mixed models regression showed that changes in adiposity (standardized body mass index and triceps skinfold) were significantly related with changes in total cholesterol (P=0.01), triglycerides (P<0.001), C-reactive protein (P<0.001), insulin (P<0.001), Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (P<0.001), and high-density lipoprotein (P<0.001). The relation between measures of adiposity and disease risk factors was stable over time in children participating in an exercise/weight loss intervention. Also, our findings indicate that reducing adiposity results in an improvement of blood disease risk factors in Mexican American children.