title: Arsenic methylation capacity and obesity are associated with insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents.
abstract: The goal of the present study was to compare the arsenic methylation capacities in elementary school and junior high school students in an area of Taiwan with low arsenic exposure, and explore the influence of both arsenic methylation capacity and obesity on insulin resistance in these children and adolescents using the HOMA-IR index. We recruited 303 elementary school students and 319 junior high school students in Taipei City from September 2007 to November 2011. Concentrations of inorganic arsenic (arsenite + arsenate), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V)) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)) were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Insulin resistance was determined by HOMA-IR. Elementary school students had significantly lower inorganic arsenic percentage and a higher DMA(V) percentage than junior high school students. It seems that the former had better arsenic methylation capability than the latter. The HOMA-IR value was significantly and positively related to the sum of the urinary inorganic and methylated arsenic (TotalAs) concentrations and also the BMI Z score, with the regression coefficients (β) being 0.058 (p < 0.001) and 0.001 (p = 0.027), respectively. The higher BMI values and higher TotalAs concentration were associated with higher HOMA-IR values in children and adolescents in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Horng-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shiue
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Liang-Sien
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheuk-Sing
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Choy
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shiau-Rung
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Bor-Cheng
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Hsueh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001149:Arsenates / Q000652:urine; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000652:urine; D018053:Arsenites / Q000652:urine; D002101:Cacodylic Acid / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001149:Arsenates; D001152:Arsenicals; D018053:Arsenites; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D002101:Cacodylic Acid; C020300:monomethylarsonic acid; C015001:arsenite; C025657:arsenic acid
keywords: Adolescents; Arsenic methylation capability; HOMA-IR; Insulin resistance; Obesity