Prevalence and characteristics of the metabolically healthy obese phenotype in children and adolescents in a Mexican state

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of the Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO), and Metabolically Obese Normal-Weight (MONW) phenotypes in a sample of children and adolescents. To evaluate which clinical and laboratory variables are related to the MONW and MHO phenotypes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years old, presumably healthy. Somatometry, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HOMA-IR, triglycerides/HDL ratio, triglycerides and glucose index, and leptin/adiponectin, were determined.

Results: Data from 620 children and adolescents were included (50.65% were males); the median age was 11 years. The prevalence of the MONW phenotype was 22.85% (95%CI 16.85%-29.79%), and the MHO phenotype 27.61% (95%CI 22.60%-33.06%). The variables that significantly explained the possibility of presenting the MONW and MHO phenotype were triglycerides/HDL ratio, and product of triglycerides and glucose. Insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly associated with the MHO phenotype but not with the MONW phenotype.

Conclusions: Prevalence of metabolically healthy obese phenotype is lower in the Mexican population compared to European studies; thus, future studies should determine if this difference relies upon genetic profile or lifestyle. The indices to assess the action of insulin based on lipids can help identify children and adolescents with the MHO and MONW phenotypes.

Keywords: Adolescentes; Adolescents; Children; Cociente triglicéridos/HDL; HOMA-IR; Insulin resistance; Metabolically Obese Normal-Weight; Metabolically healthy obese; Metabólicamente obeso con peso normal; Niños; Obeso metabólicamente sano; Resistencia a la insulina; Triglycerides/HDL ratio.