Importance of both fatness and aerobic fitness on metabolic syndrome risk in Japanese children

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 5; p. e0127400
• Main Authors: Sasayama, Kensaku, Ochi, Eisuke, Adachi, Minoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 20.05.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adiposity; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body size; Cardiorespiratory fitness; Cardiovascular disease; Child; Children; Children & youth; Cut-off; Exercise; Female; Fitness; Girls; Health risk assessment; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Levels; Male; Mathematical analysis; Measurement; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Metabolic Syndrome - physiopathology; Metabolic syndrome X; Obesity; Oxygen; Oxygen Consumption; Physical Fitness; Physiological aspects; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; ROC Curve; Studies; Teacher education; Teenagers; Variance analysis; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127400

Associations between body mass index (BMI), peak oxygen consumption (VO(2peak)), and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors have not been adequately studied in Japanese children. Here the relationships between these parameters and the threshold aerobic fitness level necessary for low MetS risk were determined. The participants (299 children; 140 boys and 159 girls, aged 9.1 ± 0.3 years) were divided into four groups using the medians of predicted VO(2peak) (pVO(2peak)) and BMI. MetS risk scores were calculated using z-scores. Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis was used to determine the threshold aerobic fitness level necessary for low MetS risk. The MetS risk score of the High BMI group was significantly higher than that of the Low BMI group for both sexes (p < 0.0001). However, the High BMI/High Fitness group had a significantly lower MetS risk score than the High BMI/Low Fitness group for both sexes. The (p)VO(2peak )cut-off values for low MetS risk were 47.9 and 44.9 ml/kg/min for boys and girls, respectively. Our results suggest that improvements in both fatness and aerobic fitness are important for decreasing MetS risk. We also confirmed the (p)VO(2peak) of cut-off values necessary for low MetS risk in Japanese children.