Abstract
Pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines have been regarded as potential markers of obesity and cardiometabolic comorbidities. However, few studies have evaluated this association in children. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between adipokine concentrations and cardiometabolic risk markers in Brazilian schoolchildren. This was a cross-sectional study with 378 children aged 8–9 years from Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We measured adipokines (leptin, retinol-binding protein 4, adiponectin, and chemerin) and cardiometabolic risk markers (fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, lipid profile, and blood pressure). Cardiometabolic risk markers were compared by quintiles of adipokines with linear regression adjusted for potential confounders. Leptin was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.03) and HOMA-IR (P = 0.01), and retinol-binding protein 4 was positively associated with total cholesterol (P = 0.04). Each standard deviation of leptin and retinol-binding protein 4 was associated to, respectively, a 0.1 (95%CI: 0.1; 0.2), 0.3 (95%CI: 0.1; 0.6), and 2.5 (95%CI: 0.1; 4.9) units increase in diastolic blood pressure, HOMA-IR, and total cholesterol. Adiponectin was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.01) and HOMA-IR (P = 0.01), and chemerin was negatively associated with glucose (P = 0.001). Each standard deviation of adiponectin and chemerin was associated to, respectively, a −0.1 (95%CI: −0.2; −0.1), −0.2 (95%CI: −0.3; −0.1), and −1.2 (95%CI: −1.9; −0.5) units decrease in diastolic blood pressure, HOMA-IR, and glucose.
Conclusion: Pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines were positively and negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk markers, respectively, among schoolchildren, indicating this relationship may be identified at earlier ages.
What is Known: • Although leptin, retinol-binding protein 4, and adiponectin are well-known adipokines, a consensus regarding their relationship with cardiometabolic risk markers, especially in schoolchildren, has not yet been reached. • Chemerin is an adipokine that has been studied recently. Yet, due to its dependence on the target cell type, its functions are still a controversial topic. | |
What is New: • Leptin was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure and HOMA-IR, and retinol-binding protein 4 was positively associated with total cholesterol. • Adiponectin was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure and HOMA-IR, and chemerin was negatively associated with glucose. |
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Abbreviations
- BF:
-
Body fat
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- CI:
-
Confidence interval
- DBP:
-
Diastolic blood pressure
- DXA:
-
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
- HDL-c:
-
High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
- HOMA-IR:
-
Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance
- LDL-c:
-
Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
- RBP4:
-
Retinol-binding protein 4
- SBP:
-
Systolic blood pressure
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to all the children who participated in this study and their guardians. We are thankful for the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the FAPEMIG for the scholarships granted to MS Filgueiras, FM Albuquerque, LG Suhett, MA Silva, and JF Novaes. We appreciate BioClin® (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil) for their support in the biochemical analyses.
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This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq - grant numbers 478910/2013-4 and 407547/2012-6), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG - grant number CDS-APQ-02979-16), and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES - code 001).
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M.S.F.: study conception and design; data collection; analysis; interpretation of data; drafting and writing the manuscript. M.C.P.: study conception and design; revision of the manuscript; co-supervision. J.B.: study conception and design; revision of the manuscript; co-supervision. F.M.A.: data collection; interpretation of data; revision of the manuscript. L.G.S.: interpretation of data; revision of the manuscript. M.A.S.: interpretation of data; revision of the manuscript. J.F.N.: study conception and design; acquisition of funding; writing and revision of the manuscript; supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was conducted according to the guidelines established by the Declaration of Helsinki. All the procedures involving study participants were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) (reference number 663.171/2014), as well as by the Municipal Secretary of Education, the Regional Superintendent of Education and school principals.
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Filgueiras, M.D.S., Pessoa, M.C., Bressan, J. et al. Pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines are associated with cardiometabolic risk markers in Brazilian schoolchildren. Eur J Pediatr 180, 2931–2941 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04040-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04040-z