Comparison of plasma adipocytokines & C-reactive protein levels in healthy schoolgoing adolescents from private & government-funded schools of Delhi, India

Background & objectives: Obesity-mediated chronic inflammatory state is primarily governed by lifestyle and food habits in adolescents and marked by alterations in the level of various inflammatory markers. This cross-sectional study was aimed to compare the inflammatory status of healthy Indian adolescents vis-�-vis their obesity profile. The inflammatory state of urban adolescents attending private and government-funded schools, and the relationship between inflammatory marker levels and anthropometric indices in the study participants from both groups were examined. Methods: A total of 4438 study participants (10-17 yr) were chosen from various schools of Delhi, India, and their anthropometric parameters were measured. Plasma adipocytokines (adiponectin, leptin and resistin) of the study participants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were assayed by a biochemical analyzer. Metabolic syndrome-related risk factors such as waist circumference, hip circumference (HC), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides of normal-weight adolescents were also evaluated. Results: The level of leptin and CRP increased with increasing adiposity, whereas adiponectin levels were found to be negatively related to obesity. All plasma cytokine levels (adiponectin, leptin and resistin) were significantly elevated in female than male adolescents. Age-based classification revealed a distinct trend of variability in the levels of all the inflammatory markers among adolescents of varying age groups. Significant differences were observed between private and government schoolgoing adolescents in terms of anthropometric and inflammatory parameters, with higher adiposity indices in the former group. The relationship of plasma adipokine and CRP levels with various adiposity indices was found to be distinctly different between private and government schoolgoing students. Interpretation & conclusions: Inflammatory markers were significantly elevated in overweight/obese adolescents. The socio-economic condition of urban Indian schoolgoing adolescents reflecting lifestyle transition has profound effects on their adiposity indices and inflammatory states. Longitudinal studies in different regions of the country need to be done to further confirm the findings.

Association of sleep duration with blood glucose level of Gujarati Indian adolescents.

Recently studies conducted in various parts of the world indicate short sleep duration as a novel risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes. However, ethnic differences exist in the etiopathogenesis of diseases, the current study was undertaken to study the effect of sleep duration on the blood glucose level of Gujarati Indian adolescents. A randomized, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was done on the voluntary participants n=332 Gujarati adolescent boys and girls of age group 13-20 years studying at the schools and colleges in the Anand district. The participants were assessed for their sleep duration, body composition and blood glucose level. The sleep duration was reported by the subjects as the number of hours they slept on most of the nights in a week over the last one-year. The observations of the study were then analyzed after grouping them into: 1) Adequate sleep duration at night, ASDN (≥7 hrs) and 2) Inadequate sleep duration at night, ISDN (<7 hrs) groups. One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tuky-Krammer test were used for finding significant differences (P<0.05) between groups. No significant difference was found in all parameters of body composition and fasting blood glucose level between the ASDN group and ISDN group in both boys and girls. However, gender difference exists in the body composition and blood glucose level. The current study indicates that inadequate sleep duration at night (<7 hrs) does not affect the blood glucose level of the Gujarati Indian adolescents of age group 13-20 years.

Association of physical activity and physical fitness with blood pressure profile in Gujarati Indian adolescents.

The current study was conducted to determine how physical activity level and physical fitness affects the blood pressure profile of Gujarati Indian adolescents so as to help in developing preventive strategies for the local population as ethnic differences exist in the aetiopathogenesis of hypertension. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 485 Gujarati Indian adolescent boys and girls of age group 16-19 years. Physical activity level was assessed using Johnson Space Center/NASA Physical Activity Rating Scale and VO2max was used to assess the physical fitness. Body composition was assessed in terms of Body Mass Index, Fat Mass Index and Waist Circumference. Blood Pressure was measured by oscillometry. Oneway ANOVA was used to study if any significant differences (P<0.05) existed in the blood pressure profile between the high, moderate and low physical activity groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined to assess the relationship between VO2max and blood pressure profile. In girls, physical activity level was not found to have a significant effect on the blood pressure profile. In boys, systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were found to be significantly higher in Moderate Physical Activity Group as compared to Low Physical Activity Group. PVO2max was found to have a significant negative correlationship with SBP, DBP and MAP in girls and a significant negative correlationship with SBP, PP and MAP in boys. It could thus be concluded that a better physical fitness rather than a higher physical activity level could keep the blood pressure in check in the Gujarati Indian adolescents.

Effect of gender on the association of adiposity with cardiovascular reactivity in Gujarati Indian adolescents.

Studies have reported that both gender and adiposity influence cardiovascular reactivity amongst adolescents. However, not much is known about the effect of gender on the association of adiposity with cardiovascular reactivity. The current study was conducted to learn how gender affects the association of adiposity with cardiovascular reactivity in the Gujarati Indian adolescents so as to develop preventive strategies for the local population. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 428 (Girls-173, Boys- 255) Gujarati Indian adolescents of age group 16-19 years. Adiposity was assessed in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat Percentage (BF %), Fat Mass (FM), Fat Mass Index (FMI) and Waist Circumference (WC). Percentage Rise in Pulse Rate (%RPR) and Percentage Rise in Diastolic Blood Pressure (%RDBP) during Isometric Handgrip Test were used to assess the cardiovascular reactivity to acute sympathetic stress. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined to find the association of adiposity with cardiovascular reactivity. Boys were found to have a significantly larger WC, higher physical fitness and greater %RDBP in comparison to girls while girls had a significantly higher BF% and FMI in comparison to boys. In both boys and girls, BMI, BF%, FMI and WC showed significant positive association with %RDBP with stronger correlationship found in girls. Girls also showed a significant negative correlationship between physical fitness and vascular reactivity. It could thus be concluded that gender affected the association of adiposity with vascular reactivity in Gujarati Indian adolescent such that girls tend to have a larger correlationship between adiposity and vascular reactivity than boys which is most likely due to lower physical fitness.