ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Serum lipid abnormalities in early childhood are risk factors for atherosclerosis. Lipid peroxidation might play an important role in this process, along with hypercholesterolemia. OBJECTIVE: To compare plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin E in two groups of children: one group with low density lipoproteins (LDL) concentrations > or = 130 mg/dL and another group with LDL concentrations < 130 mg/dL. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Healthy schoolchildren from the city of Medellin selected by probabilistic sampling performed by staff at the Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia. SAMPLE: There were 134 subjects, aged 6 to 9 years old, divided into two groups: a group of 67 hypercholesterolemic children (LDL > or = 130 mg/dL) and a control group of 67 normocholesterolemic children (LDL < 130 mg/dL). RESULTS: Hypercholesterolemic children with a mean serum LDL concentration of 147.7 +/- 15.5 mg/dL and a total cholesterol concentration of 212 +/- 17 mg/dL had higher MDA plasma concentrations than the control group (0.18 +/- 0.1 6 microM; 0.08 +/- 0.06 microM, p < 0,0001, respectively). A negative correlation was observed between alpha-tocopherol/total lipids ratio and MDA values in children with hypercholesterolemia (r = -0.337 p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Lipid peroxidation was higher in hypercholesterolemic children than in the control group and was even higher when there was a deficit in the alpha-tocopherol/total lipids ratio. Hypercholesterolemia and lipid peroxidation are co-existing risk factors that are established during school age.
Subject(s)
Hypercholesterolemia/blood , Lipid Peroxidation , Vitamin E/blood , Child , Colombia , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Lipoproteins, LDL/blood , Male , Malondialdehyde/bloodABSTRACT
AIM: To describe plasma retinol values according to age, gender and pubertal maturation. TYPE OF STUDY: Comparative, transverse and descriptive. PLACE: Medellín, Colombia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Plasma retinol values were determined in 588 boys and 531 girls aged between 6 and 18 y. For this, we used spectrophotometry by UV oxidation of retinol, results below 0.87 mmol/l were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Mean retinol plasma concentrations were slightly higher in girls under 10 y. However, above this age, values are generally higher in boys. Plasma retinol concentrations increased with pubertal maturation in both boys and girls in a statistically significant manner. The highest values were observed in girls with mammary development grades 3 and 4 (P<0.05) and in boys with external genitalia development grades 1 and 2 (P<0.05). Vitamin A deficiency based on plasma retinol concentration (<0.70 mmol/l), was observed in 3.6% of all individuals regardless of gender. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma retinol concentration is correlated to pubertal maturation in both boys and girls. Vitamin A deficiency in school children and adolescents of Medellín is not a major health problem.
Subject(s)
Puberty/blood , Sexual Maturation/physiology , Vitamin A/blood , Adolescent , Child , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Colombia , Female , Humans , Male , Nutritional Status , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sex Factors , Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet/methods , Vitamin A Deficiency/blood , Vitamin A Deficiency/epidemiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate exposure to the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease in children from Medellín according to age, sex, type of school, and socioeconomic status. METHOD: We performed a descriptive study in 2611 children aged 6-18 years old from the city of Medellín in Colombia. Lipid profile, blood pressure, body mass index, diet, exercise, alcohol intake, and smoking were evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the children drank alcohol, 8.7 % smoked and 50 % were physically inactive. Fat and carbohydrate intake was high in 48 % and 47 %, respectively. A total of 9.3 % of the children were overweight and 4.6 % were obese. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were high in 1.3 % and 3.9 %, respectively. Mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) values were lower than in other populations, while triglyceride values were higher. Differences in serum lipid concentrations were found according to age and sex. The prevalence of risk factors according to the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria were: 19.1 % for HDL-C, 17.1 % for triglycerides, 17.0 % for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), 13.5 % for total cholesterol (TC) and 22.9 % for TC/HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: In children from the city of Medellín, the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors were related to lifestyle. Mean plasma lipid concentrations varied according to age and sex. The prevalence of overweight was higher than in other populations in Colombia but was lower than that reported for other countries.
