title: The association of serum sialic acid with carotid intima-media thickness and anthropometric and metabolic parameters in obese children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sialic acid (SA) has been shown to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular mortality in adults. No study in children regarding the association of SA with cardiovascular risks exists in the literature.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the association of SA with anthropometric and metabolic parameters and its correlation with metabolic syndrome (MS) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in obese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 154 obese children were included in the study (74 females, 80 males; mean age 11.3 ± 2.6 years). Anthropometric measurements including body fat percentage (BFP) were recorded. Fasting lipids and SA levels were measured. The carotid IMT was evaluated with ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a significant correlation between serum total SA (TSA) levels and BFP (r = 0.25, p = 0.01 in the whole group; r = 0.43, p = 0.00 in girls). The group with BFP ≥95th percentile had higher TSA levels than the group with BFP <95th percentile (p = 0.04). TSA and carotid IMT were weakly correlated (r = 0.20, p = 0.01), but the significance was lost after correcting for BFP. No correlations were found between TSA and other anthropometric measurements. TSA did not correlate with serum fasting glucose, lipids, insulin or homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance. TSA levels were not different between children with or without MS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum TSA levels are significantly correlated with BFP in obese children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. leylabakin@gmail.com
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Akin
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurtoglu
authors.forename: Sabahattin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muhtaroğlu
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yikilmaz
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kendirci
authors.forename: Mümtaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazicioglu
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid