Background: Obesity in children is now an increasing health risk worldwide in which the insulin-resistance can be present. Studies have linked a diet rich in n-3 fatty acids with a lower prevalence of insulin-resistance.
Objective: To compare the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid among obese children with and without insulin-resistance.
Materials and methods: In 56 randomly school-age children with obesity, insulin-resistance was determined by the homeostasis model assessment for insulin-resistance index and the serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid were determined by gas chromatography. Insulin-resistance was established when the index was >6.0, non- insulin- resistance when that index was within the range of 1.4-5.9. The serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid were compared with the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, as needed.
Results: No differences in age or sex were identified among the groups studied. The anthropometric parameters were significantly higher in the group of children with insulin-resistance than in the other two groups. The children with insulin- resistance had significantly lower levels of eicosapentaenoic acid than the non- insulin-resistance group [12.4% area under the curve vs. 37.4%, p = 0.031], respectively.
Conclusion: Obese primary school-aged children with insulin-resistance had lower plasma levels of eicosapentaenoic acid.
Introducción: La obesidad en los niños es un problema de salud pública en todo el mundo y la resistencia a la insulina puede estar presente. Existen estudios publicados que han relacionado una dieta rica en n-3 ácidos grasos con una menor prevalencia de resistencia a la insulina en sujetos obesos. Objetivo: Comparar los niveles de ácido eicosapentaenoico en niños escolares obesos con y sin resistencia a la insulina. Métodos: Se eligieron al azar 56 niños en edad escolar con obesidad, a los cuales se les determinó resistencia a la insulina mediante la evaluación del modelo de homeostasis para el índice de resistencia a la insulina y se determinaron los niveles séricos de ácido eicosapentaenoico por cromatografía de gases. La resistencia a la insulina se estableció cuando el índice fue> 6,0, no resistencia a la insulina cuando ese índice fue.
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