THE USE OF A METABOLOMIC APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE METABOLIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SEXES IN OVERWEIGHT ADOLESCENTS

Puberty cause changes in sex hormones, insulin sensitivity and endocrine functions that changes body composition and distinguish boys from girls. The systems biology has been widely used to study metabolism, especially the metabolomic approach, which identifies and quantifies metabolites, reproducing the physiological state of the organism. Therefore, the objective of this study is to use the metabolomics to investigate the metabolic differences among sex associated with obesity. The sample consisted of 40 adolescents of both sexes, between 13 and 17 years of age, who were overweight and obese (BMI between 25 and 34.9 kg / m2) and was divided into 2 groups (male and female). After the blood collection, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis procedures were performed. Significant differences were observed between the metabolites carnitine, glycerol and leucine among overweight men and women. Much of these differences are due to the differences in sex hormones and different amounts of accumulation of body fat.