Premium
Sex‐specific association of plasma nesfatin‐1 concentrations with obesity in children
Author(s) -
Dios Olaya,
Herrero Leticia,
GavelaPérez Teresa,
SorianoGuillén Leandro,
Garcés Carmen
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pediatric obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.226
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 2047-6310
pISSN - 2047-6302
DOI - 10.1111/ijpo.12567
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , anthropometry , endocrinology , leptin , body mass index , radioimmunoassay
Summary Background Nesfatin‐1, an anorexigenic peptide, has been associated with food intake and thermogenesis, with discordant findings in humans and scarce studies in children to date. Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship of obesity with nesfatin‐1 levels in two cohorts of children. Methods Plasma nesfatin‐1 concentrations were analyzed in 6‐ to 9‐year‐olds ( n = 140) and 12‐ to 16‐year‐old children ( n = 96), including children with obesity and their sex‐ and age‐matched normal‐weight counterparts. Anthropometric measurements were assessed. Cholesterol and triglycerides were determined enzymatically, insulin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay using a commercial kit and nesfatin‐1, leptin and hs‐CRP concentrations were determined using commercial ELISA kits. Results Nesfatin‐1 concentrations were significantly lower in younger ( P = .001) and older ( P = .009) girls with obesity than in their normal‐weight counterparts, without showing significant differences in boys. Nesfatin‐1 showed a negative significant ( P < .010) correlation with weight and BMI in girls but not in boys. A significant positive correlation of nesfatin‐1 levels with insulin, HOMA, and leptin levels appears in girls after adjusting by age and BMI. A significant positive correlation ( P = .003) was observed between nesfatin‐1 and fat mass in older children. Conclusions Our study shows lower concentrations of nesfatin‐1 related to obesity in girls but not in boys at two different ages. The existence of a sex‐specific association between nesfatin‐1 concentrations and presence of obesity highlights the need of an analysis by gender of the relationship of nesfatin‐1 with obesity.