Fetuin-A and its relation to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease in obese children before and after weight loss.
CONTEXT: There are very limited data available concerning the relationships between fetuin-A, weight status, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in obese humans, and especially in children. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to study the longitudinal relationships between fetuin-A, NAFLD, and MetS in obese children. DESIGN: This was a 1-yr longitudinal follow-up study. SETTING: This study was performed in primary care. PATIENTS: A total of 36 obese and 14 lean children was included in the study. INTERVENTION: An outpatient 1-yr intervention program based on exercise, behavior, and nutrition therapy was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes of weight status (sd score-body mass index), waist circumference, fetuin-A, blood pressure, lipids, transaminases, insulin resistance index homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and prevalence of NAFLD (defined by liver ultrasound) were calculated. RESULTS: The 12 obese children with NAFLD had significantly higher fetuin-A levels (0.35+/-0.07 g/liter) than the 24 obese children without NAFLD (0.29+/-0.06 g/liter) and the 14 normal weight children (0.29+/-0.05 g/liter). Fetuin-A levels were independent of age, pubertal stage, and gender. Fetuin-A correlated significantly to systolic (r=0.50) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.41), insulin resistance index HOMA (r=0.28), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r=-0.31). Changes of fetuin-A correlated significantly to changes of insulin resistance index HOMA (r=0.34), systolic (r=0.31) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.37), and waist circumferences (r=0.36). Substantial weight loss in 21 children led to a significant decrease of fetuin-A and the prevalence of NAFLD in contrast to the 15 children without substantial weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Fetuin-A levels were higher in children with NAFLD, and were related to insulin resistance and to features of the MetS in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Therefore, fetuin-A might be a new promising link between obesity and its comorbidities.[1]References
- Fetuin-A and its relation to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease in obese children before and after weight loss. Reinehr, T., Roth, C.L. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. (2008) [Pubmed]
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