title: Red cell sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase sites and intracellular sodium increased in obese school children.
abstract: Principally to ascertain whether mineral metabolism is involved in weight regulation, the 40 most obese of 1,774 children, aged 10-11 years, screened for obesity were compared with 46 age-matched controls. The obese children had more 3H-Ouabain erythrocyte binding sites (p = 0.04), higher intracellular sodium (p = 0.04), and lower plasma sodium (p = 0.002). After exclusion of the non-Scandinavians, the p values were p = 0.02, p = 0.03, and p = 0.03, respectively. Analysis of variance also showed the differences to be more dependent on obesity than on gender or nationality. It is concluded that obese children have more 3H-Ouabain erythrocyte binding sites indicating an increase of the sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase activity. The increase of intracellular sodium may increase the risk of future hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Lund, Malmö General Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Flodmark
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Henningsen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sveger
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002648:Child; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D010042:Ouabain / Q000097:blood; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010042:Ouabain; D012964:Sodium; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase