title: Relationship of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate with overweight and insulin sensitivity in 12-16-year-old Spanish children.
abstract: DHEA-S is the most abundant steroid hormone in human circulation. Although a relationship of DHEA-S with obesity-related diseases has been reported, the metabolic role of this hormone remains unclear, particularly in children. In our study, we have investigated the relationship of DHEA-S levels with anthropometric variables, insulin, HOMA, and free fatty acids in adolescents. The study sample included 812 healthy 12-16-year-old children (383 boys and 429 girls). Plasma DHEA-S was determined by RIA, insulin concentrations by IRMA, and free fatty acids by using a commercial kit. Insulin resistance was estimated using the HOMA index. No significant differences in plasma DHEA-S levels were found between sexes. DHEA-S levels in overweight children were significantly higher than in normal-weight children. DHEA-S levels were significantly correlated with weight and BMI after adjusting for age. Significant positive correlations between DHEA-S and free fatty acids levels were found after adjusting for age and BMI, particularly in boys, but not between DHEA-S levels and insulin or HOMA in either gender. DHEA-S levels in 12-16-year-old children are correlated with weight and BMI independently of age. We failed to find any association between DHEA-S and insulin levels, but we did find a -significant correlation between DHEA-S and free fatty acids levels, suggesting that its association with free fatty acids may be related to the onset of the association of DHEA-S with insulin resi-stance.
authors.affiliation: Lipid Research Laboratory, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Anguita
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate