ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cellular damage by oxidation is present in numerous chronic diseases, such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver, among others. The oxidized compound 3-nitrotyrosine is a marker of oxidative stress and protein oxidation damage. The objective of this work is to establish by means of 3-nitrotyrosine whether this marker in young people with obesity is higher than in the same population without obesity. METHOD: Anthropometry and blood chemistry analyses were performed on 24 young Mexican participants (18-30 years old), forming two groups based on their waist circumference: With Obesity (≥ 80 cm women;> 90 cm men) and Without-Obesity (<80 cm women; <90 cm men). Additionally, 3-nitrotyrosine blood values were quantified by ELISA. RESULTS: Except for HDL-cholesterol, the mean values of lipids increase in women and men With Obesity (p<0.05), and 3-nitrotyrosine concentration (nM/µg total protein) was higher by 60% in the group With Obesity compared to the group Without Obesity, both for women (66.21 ± 23.85 vs. 40.69 ± 16.25, p<0.05) and men (51.72 ± 20.56 vs. 30.52 ± 5.21, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative damage measured by compound 3-nitrotyrosine is higher in the groups With Obesity than in the groups Without Obesity, which if not controlled can lead to a chronic oxidative condition and thereby to a degree of cellular aging with diverse health effects.