Oxidative stress in childhood obesity.
OBJECTIVE
To measure products of free radical damage in childhood obesity.


METHODS
Plasma free radicals were assayed in 24 children with exogenous obesity and 24 non-obese healthy controls. A new colorimetric method was used that measures the generation of peroxy radicals (D-Roms), first products of the reaction between free radicals and oxygen.


RESULTS
D-Roms levels were higher in the obese children than in the non-obese group (33.3+/-10.1 mg% of H2O2 vs 22.8+/-2.8 mg% of H2O2; p <0.001). Moreover, D-Roms levels were higher in children with hyperlipidemia than in children with normolipidemia (49.6+/-3.1 mg% of H2O2 vs 27.8+/-3.2 mg% of H2O2; p <0.001). D-Roms level was positively correlated with waist-hip ratio, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose in obese children. In a multivariate regression model for obese children, the independent correlates for D-Roms level were systolic blood pressure (p <0.001) and serum total cholesterol (p <0.001), with the total variance explained being 82%.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrates for the first time that there was increased D-Roms levels in obese children and adolescents and suggests that increased systolic blood pressure associated with hyperlipidemia may independently contribute to increased oxidative stress in childhood obesity.
Atabek
Mehmet Emre
ME
Department of Pediatrics, Selcuk University, Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. meatabek@hotmail.com
Vatansev
Husamettin
H
Erkul
Ibrahim
I
D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005609:Free Radicals