α‐Defensins and bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein as new markers of childhood obesity

• Published in: Pediatric obesity Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. e10 - e13
• Main Authors: Prats‐Puig, A., Gispert‐Saüch, M., Carreras‐Badosa, G., Osiniri, I., Soriano‐Rodríguez, P., Planella‐Colomer, M., Zegher, F., Ibánez, L., Bassols, J., López‐Bermejo, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.04.2017
• Subjects: alpha-Defensins - blood; Anthropometry; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - blood; bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Pressure; Blood Proteins; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; Child; children; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; insulin resistance; Longitudinal Studies; Male; obesity; Pediatric Obesity - blood; Risk Factors; α‐Defensins; α-Defensins; bacterial/permeability-increasing protein; children; insulin resistance; obesity
• ISSN: 2047-6302; 2047-6310
• DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12118

Summary Objectives The aim of this paper is to test whether α‐defensins and bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein were related to obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in prepubertal children. Methods Plasma α‐defensins and bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), HOMA‐IR and HMW‐adiponectin were assessed. Results In a cross‐sectional study (N = 250), higher α‐defensins concentrations were positively associated with BMI, waist, SBP, cIMT, HOMA‐IR and negative correlated with HMW‐adiponectin (all between r = 0.191 and r = 0.377, p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.0001). Conversely, plasma bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein concentrations presented inversed associated with the same parameters (all between r = −0.124 and r = −0.329; p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.0001). In a longitudinal study (N = 91), α‐defensins at age 7 were associated with BMI (β = 0.189, p = 0.002; model R2 = 0.847) and waist (β = 0.241, pthinsp;= 0.001; model R2 = 0.754) at age 10. Conclusions α‐Defensins and bacterial/permeability‐increasing protein may be the markers of childhood obesity. Increased concentrations of α‐defensins may predict BMI and abdominal fat deposition in children.