(15-12-05) Central adiposity in adolescent girls predicts future metabolic syndrome

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high waist circumference and elevated triglyceride levels are predictive of later metabolic syndrome in adolescent girls, according to a report in the November issue of Pediatrics. Transient preadolescent central adiposity, by contrast, is not associated with metabolic syndrome later in life.

The results suggest that "early interventions aimed at managing preteen obesity could reduce the risk of developing the syndrome," lead author Dr. John A. Morrison, from Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and colleagues note.
The findings are based on a longitudinal study of more than 1000 girls who were followed for 10 years starting at ages 9 and 10. The study focused on the five components of the metabolic syndrome: high waist circumference, high glucose, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
At 9 and 10 years of age, just one girl of each race (0.2%) had three or more components of the metabolic syndrome. Ten years later, 20 black girls (3.5%) and 12 white girls (2.3%) had at least three components.
Low HDL cholesterol levels were a common finding in black and white girls that persisted during the study period. Abnormal triglyceride levels in black girls remained low throughout the study period, whereas the prevalence of other syndrome components started low and increased.
On multivariate analysis, waist circumference and triglyceride level were identified as predictors of metabolic syndrome during follow-up, the investigators report.
"These findings are consistent with earlier reports that waist circumference is the primary predictor of the metabolic consequences of obesity and extend these findings by showing that what happens in childhood central adiposity is critical," the authors conclude.

Source : Pediatrics 2005;116:1178-1182.

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.