Stress and body mass index each contributes independently to tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in prepubescent Latino children.
This investigation extended prior work by determining if stress and body mass index (BMI) contributed independently to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels among prepubescent Latino children and if sex and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) modified these relationships. Data were collected in South Florida from 112 nondiabetic school-aged Hispanic children, of whom 43.8% were obese (BMI >/= 95th percentile) and 51.8% presented with a family history of T2DM. Stressful life events were assessed via parental report using a life events scale. Plasma TNF-alpha levels were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relative contributions of stress and BMI with TNF-alpha levels and the potential interaction effects of sex and family history of T2DM were analyzed with multiple linear regression analyses. Stress and BMI each accounted for a significant proportion of the unique variance associated with TNF-alpha. The association between stress and TNF-alpha was not modified by sex or family history of T2DM. These findings implicate BMI and stress as independent determinants of TNF-alpha (an inflammatory cytokine and adipocytokine) among Latino children. Future investigations should examine the potential roles of exercise, nutritional status, age, and growth hormone in explicating the relationship between TNF-alpha production and psychosocial distress and risk for infection among obese children.
University of Miami Behavioral Medicine Research Center, c/o VA Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA. denise.dixon@sunysb.edu
Denise
D
Dixon
Hongdao
H
Meng
Ronald
R
Goldberg
Neil
N
Schneiderman
Alan
A
Delamater
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D008016:Life Change Events; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha