Abstract
Background: Obese children are subject to the same chronic oxidative and inflammatory stress,
responsible for the onset of all the complications typical of adult age, such as insulin
resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease.
Objectives: Since few studies are reported in prepubertal obese children, we investigated the
relationship between oxidative stress, body composition and metabolic pattern in childhood
obesity in comparison with adult obese patients.
Methods: We enrolled 25 prepubertal children (12 males and 13 females) aged 5–12 years with
a mean value of standard deviation of BMI (SDS-BMI)±SEM of 1.96±0.09. We performed
oral glucose tolerance test, hormonal and metabolic evaluation, bioimpedentiometry,
evaluation of total antioxidant capacity using spectroscopical method using a radical
cation, 2,2I- azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulphonate) (ABTS), as indicator of radical formation,
with a latency time (LAG) proportional to antioxidant in the sample.
Results: LAG values significantly correlate with % fat mass, waist circumference and waist/hip
ratio. However mean LAG values were significantly lower than in obese adults.
Conclusions: We suggest that children are more susceptible to oxidative stress than adults, possibly
to incomplete development of antioxidant system. Prognostic and therapeutical implications
need to be further investigated.
Key words
oxidative stress - obesity - childhood - antioxidants - metabolic syndrome - insulin
resistance