High prevalence of blood lipid abnormalities and pre‐diabetes among overweight and obese high school students in The Banishing Obesity and Diabetes in Youth (BODY) Project

The BODY Project assessed the prevalence of blood lipid abnormalities and pre‐diabetes (PD) among lean (L), overweight (O), and obese (OB) students from two New York City public high schools evaluated between 2007–2010. Screening for L/O/OB participants took place during physical education class. We measured BMI on 5,984 students, of whom 65% L, 20% O, and 15% OB according to WHO BMI cutoffs. All qualifying O/OB and a subset of L students were approached for participation in the study. After obtaining consent, we evaluated 1,070 students: 318 L, 401 O, and 351 OB. Trained clinicians measured height, weight, and waist circumference. Fasting blood samples were evaluated for glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), cholesterol profile, and pro‐inflammatory markers (CRP). HOMA‐IR, waist‐to‐height ratios (WTHR), TG, CRP, and LDL all significantly increased from L to class III OB (p<.05 between all BMI groups). HDL significantly decreased from L to class III OB (p<.05 between all BMI groups). HDL, and CRP were higher in females than males (p<.05). The impact of rising obesity on metabolic regulation in youth is clear. Indicators of PD (inflammation, abnormal cholesterol profiles, and insulin resistance) were highest in O/OB youth. Across all weight groups, females display more abdominal obesity (WTHR) than males (p<.05). Grant Funding Source: NYU Langone Medical Center Community Service Plan and The Nathan Kline Institute