Fasting plasma insulin modulates lipid levels and particle sizes in 2- to 3-year-old children.
OBJECTIVE
Obesity and hyperinsulinemia are associated with dyslipidemia in adults and older children, but little is known about these relationships in very young children. We examined the relation of fasting insulin to lipid levels and lipid particle size in young healthy children.


METHODS
Analyses were performed on data from 491 healthy 2- and 3-year old Hispanic children enrolled in a dietary study conducted in New York City, 1992-1995. Obesity measures included BMI, ponderal index, skinfold thickness, and waist circumference. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)- and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol particle size were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance.


RESULTS
Fasting insulin level was positively correlated with triglyceride levels (r = 0.24 for boys and r = 0.23 for girls; p < 0.001 for both) and inversely correlated with HDL-cholesterol level in boys (r = -0.20; p < 0.01). Higher fasting insulin level was also correlated with smaller mean HDL particle size in both boys (r = -0.21; p < 0.001) and girls (r = -0.14; p < 0.05) and smaller mean LDL particle size in boys (r = -0.13; p < 0.05). The associations of fasting insulin level with triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels and HDL and LDL particle size remained significant after multivariate regression adjustment for age, sex, and BMI or ponderal index.


CONCLUSIONS
Fasting insulin level is associated with relative dyslipidemia in healthy 2- and 3-year-old Hispanic children.
Shea
Steven
S
Division of General Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA. ss35@columbia.edu
Aymong
Eve
E
Zybert
Patricia
P
Berglund
Lars
L
Shamoon
Harry
H
Deckelbaum
Richard J
RJ
Basch
Charles E
CE
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D010316:Particle Size; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides