Serum Antioxidant Associations with Metabolic Characteristics in Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Adolescents with Severe Obesity: An Observational Study

Abstract

Considering the inadequacy of some antioxidant nutrients in severely obese adolescents, this study aimed to assess the relationship between antioxidant micronutrients status and metabolic syndrome components in metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and unhealthy obesity (MUO). We performed an observational study in severely obese adolescents (body mass index > 99th percentile) and they were classified into MHO or MUO, according to the criteria adapted for adolescents. Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical variables were analyzed to characterize the sample of adolescents. The serum antioxidant nutrients assessed were retinol, β-carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, zinc and selenium. A total of 60 adolescents aged 17.31 ± 1.34 years were enrolled. MHO was identified in 23.3% of adolescents. The MHO group showed lower frequency of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (14.3% vs. 78.3%, p < 0.001) when compared to MUO. A correlation was found between retinol and β-carotene concentrations with glycemia (r = −0.372; p = 0.011 and r = −0.314; p = 0.034, respectively) and between Vitamin E with waist circumference (r = −0.306; p = 0.038) in the MUO group. The current study shows that some antioxidant nutrients status, specifically retinol, β-carotene, and Vitamin E, are negatively associated with metabolic alterations in MUO. Further studies are necessary to determine the existing differences in the serum antioxidant profile of metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese adolescents.

Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Children: Influence of Puberty and Metabolically Unhealthy Status

“…Accordingly, we observed for the first time a negative association between carotenes/TAG and endothelial damage biomarkers aPAI-1 and tPAI-1. Plasma carotenes/TAG were also negatively correlated with insulin and HOMA-IR, which agrees with a previous study that showed serum β-carotene levels to be negatively correlated with glycaemia in adolescents with obesity and MU status [57].…”

Plasma Retinol Levels and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Prepubertal Children

“…Studies analyzing the association between CRP and antioxidant levels in children are scarce and it has been mostly investigated in sick children. The association between CRP and vitamin A, for example, has been analyzed in children with an infectious disease [ 15 ], night blindness [ 16 ] or obesity [ 17 , 18 ]. To our knowledge, no cross-sectional studies analyzing the association of CRP with vitamin levels have been performed in healthy children in developed countries.…”

The Association Between Deficiency of Nutrient Intake on Resting Metabolic Rate in Overweight and Obese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This result is in line with previous studies which showed that the increase in blood vitamin C concentrations associated with the change in RMR/FFM (43). Garcia and co-workers have shown that low serum concentrations of Vitamin C are correlated with increased body fat and abdominal fat (44). In contrast, some other studies have shown that vitamin C administration signi cantly decreased RMR (45).…”

“…In contrast, some other studies have shown that vitamin C administration signi cantly decreased RMR (45). A potential mechanism for this correlation could be because of ascorbic acid modulation on lipolysis in the interior of adipocytes and in ammatory response (44). Vitamin C, an antioxidant, regulates glucocorticoid metabolism and gene expression involved in adipogenesis (46).…”