Aim: Elevated gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is positively associated with severity of obesity in obese children and with increased BMI and waist circumference in general populations of adults. We aimed to study the relationships between GGT and anthropometric parameters in a general population of children.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 219 boys and 214 girls included in the Fleurbaix Laventie Ville Santé II study. Weight, height, four skinfolds and waist circumference were measured. We compared the means of GGT activity according to gender and Tanner stage, and according to overweight status (IOTF definition) and quartiles of anthropometric parameters. We then calculated partial Pearson correlations by gender between GGT and anthropometric parameters taking age and Tanner stage into account.
Results: GGT activity was higher in boys than in girls as soon as puberty started (P<0.001). The higher difference was observed for Tanner stage III (GGT=10.2 UI/L, CI95% of mean (9.5, 11.1) vs. 7.8 UI/L (7.2, 8.4)). Anthropometric parameters were significantly associated with GGT, particularly waist circumference (r=0.28 in boys; r=0.24 in girls). After an additional adjustment for sum of skinfolds, this correlation disappeared in boys (r=0.06), and was still significant in girls (r=0.19).
Conclusion: In a general population of children, overweight and abdominal fat distribution were associated with increased GGT. As some studies have shown that GGT could predict the metabolic syndrome in children and type 2 diabetes in adults, the modest elevation of GGT observed in overweight children may be of pathophysiological importance in the long term.