These results are particularly important in light of the deleterious consequences of childhood obesity and early changes in markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. We suggest exploring the direct clinical application of zinc supplementation in childhood obesity in future studies.

OBJECTIVE: Zinc, an essential trace element and a component of many enzymes, is involved in the synthesis, storage and release of insulin. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of zinc supplementation on insulin resistance and components of the metabolic syndrome in prepubertal obese children. DESIGN: This triple-masked, randomized, placebocontrolled cross-over trial was conducted among 60 obese Iranian children in 2008. Pertinent clinical findings, fasting serum glucose, insulin and lipid profile were assessed. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups of equal number; one group received 20mg elemental zinc and the other group received placebo on a regular daily basis for eight weeks. After a 4-week wash-out period, the groups were crossed over. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 9.1 ± 1.1 years. After receiving zinc, the mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin and HOMA-IR decreased significantly, while body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), LDL-C and triglycerides (TG) did not significantly change. After receiving placebo, the mean FPG, insulin and HOMA-IR increased significantly, while BMI, WC, LDL-C and TG showed a non-significant increase. CONCLUSION: Besides lifestyle modification, zinc supplementation might be considered as a useful and safe additional intervention treatment for improvement of cardiometabolic risk factors related to childhood obesity.

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Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are dimeric mainly cytosolic enzymes involved in detoxification of many exogenous and endogenous disease-causing electrophilic substrates. GSTs also have critical role in phase II biotransformation of a number of drugs, xenobiotics and industrial chemicals and protect cellular macromolecules. The evidences supported that human GSTT1 contributes in the deactivation of reactive oxygen species which more likely to be effective in inflammatory diseases, ageing and some non-cancer diseases also different types of cancers. The GSTT1 is genetically deleted in a high percentage of the different ethnic groups. Although this gene is highly conserved during evolution, it is indeed surprising that the GSTT1 deleted gene could be found in high incidence of human population. Conjugator and non-conjugator phenotypes are coincident with this deletion (GSTT1*1 and GSTT1*0 genotype).The consequences of this deletion could be involved in some diseases outcome, toxicology and drug resistances. In this study the Real-time PCR assay and a set of hybridization probes was used as a one-step and accurate method to estimate the frequency of GSTT1*0 genotype as a non-functional phenotype in 90 healthy individuals from the province of Isfahan in Iran. GSTT1 genotypes were identified in DNA samples using fluorogenic Real-Time PCR (LightCycler) followed by online melting curve analysis. The incidence of GSTT1*1(wild type) and GSTT1*0(Null type) were 74.5% and 25.5% respectively. No differences in genotypes frequencies were perceived in samples stratified by age and gender P> 0.05. The results were compared with other ethnic groups to get more insight into the frequency differences of defected carcinogens metabolizer gene due to deletion polymorphism of GSTT1. It has been indicated the incidence of GSTT1*0 in this group of Iran showed significant differences with East Asian and some European and American countries P< 0.05.The prevalence of GSTT1 null genotype in the study group from Isfahan province of Iran was slightly higher in comparison with other Iranian ethnic group (Iranian Georgian 15.7%), but this difference was not significant (χ2=1.66, P=0.197). Further experimental investigations are needed to inquiry the clinical implications of GSTT1 genetic polymorphism with consider to significant variability among different ethnicities

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