Serum leptin, adiponectin and resistin levels in obese children and their correlations with insulin resistance

Park, Min Young; Ahn, Sun A; Cho, Won Kyoung; Cho, Kyoung Soon; Park, So Hyun; Hahn, Seung Hoon; Jung, Min Ho; Suh, Byung Kyu

Abstract

PURPOSE
The objective of this study was to compare the levels of adipocytokines in obesity group with those in control group and examine their correlation with insulin resistance. METHODS: We enrolled 36 obese children (male:female [M:F]=17:19; age, 9.3+/-1.9 yrs) with > or =95th percentile body mass indexes (BMIs) (obesity group) and 35 healthy children (M:F=16:19; age, 9.1+/-2.1 yrs) with 25th-75th percentile BMIs (control group). We measured the serum leptin, adiponectin, and resistin levels and insulin resistance in both the groups. RESULTS: The weights, heights, BMIs, fasting sugar levels, insulin levels, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values were higher in the obesity group than in the control group. As compared to the control group, the obesity group showed significantly higher leptin levels and lower adiponectin levels; no significant difference was observed in the resistin levels. The leptin/adiponectin (L/A) ratio was higher in the obesity group than in the control group. In the obesity group, HOMA-IR showed significant positive correlations with weight, height, BMI, and leptin level. However, it was not correlated with age and adiponectin and resistin levels. In the obesity group, leptin level showed significant positive correlations with age, weight, height, and BMI, while adiponectin and resistin levels showed no such correlations with the other variables CONCLUSION: We suggest that adiponectin plays an important protective role against weight gain in obese children. Further, L/A ratio can be used as a parameter for predicting the prognosis of obese children.