Background Orexigenic actions mediated by neuropeptide-Y (NPY) promote body weight regulation. Genetic variations in the NPY gene could therefore influence susceptibility to obesity, but results have been conflicting. We have carried out, for the first time, a case–control study to examine the effect of NPY rs16147 and rs5574 variants with the risk of obesity in Asians and also a meta-analysis to summarize the effect of these variants including that of the widely studied rs16139. Materials and methods Genotypes and …

Purpose: To investigate the associations of directly measured peak oxygen uptake (V˙ O 2 peak) and body fat percentage (BF%) with arterial stiffness and arterial dilatation capacity in children. Methods: Findings are based on 329 children (177 boys and 152 girls) aged 8–11 years. V˙ O 2 peak was assessed by a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a cycle ergometer and scaled by lean body mass (LM). BF% and LM were measured by bioelectrical impedance. Stiffness index (measure of arterial stiffness) and change in …

This study aimed to develop a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention program targeted at children and adolescents with moderate to severe obesity, and assess the additional effects of exercise intervention when compared to usual care. Overall, the 103 enrolled participants were≥ 85th percentile of age and sex-specific body mass index (BMI). Participants were divided into groups that received 16 weeks of either usual care or exercise intervention. The BMI z-score of the overall completers decreased by about 0.05 after the 16-week …

Objective To investigate whether indices of obesity are associated with insulin resistance in Korean adolescents. Methods This study was conducted as a cross-sectional analysis of 817 healthy adolescents aged 15–16 years without diabetes. Percentiles group of weight-for-height, body mass index (BMI)-for-age, waist circumference (WC)-for-age, and skin fold thickness (SFT)-for-age were based on the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. Percentiles of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and percent body fat …

Context: Pediatric obesity has been related to hyperandrogenism and premature adrenarche in previous studies. However, little is known regarding the association between body fat mass and steroidogenic enzyme activities in children. Objective: To examine whether body fat mass is associated with serum steroid profiles in girls. Design, Participants, and Setting: We enrolled 242 girls (125 prepubertal, 117 pubertal; age, 7–13 years). Early morning blood samples were drawn at a university hospital to measure serum steroid …

Existing methods for diagnosing diabetes and for identifying risk of diabetes development are completed under resting conditions and based on adult data. Studying additional methods to identify metabolic risk in children is warranted. Our objective was to examine the validity and reliability of a metabolic flexibility (MetFlex) test for screening glycemia and insulin resistance (IR) in children. We hypothesized higher MetFlex during exercise would be correlated with lower fasting glucose and homeostasis model assessment of insulin …

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease and can present with advanced fibrosis or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 7-day intense physical activity intervention on liver fat content in children with obesity. Fifty-seven obese children (mean body mass index: 26.5±3.2 kg/m2; mean age: 12.0±0.8 years) participated in a 7-day physical activity program. All participants were housed together, and their food intake and energy expenditure were strictly controlled …

Objective: Nutritional disorders affect growth in children. The present study aimed to assess the nutritional status and vitamin D levels in children by use of different nutritional assessment parameters via bioelectric impedance analysis. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-nine patients who applied to our general paediatrics outpatient clinic with various complaints, such as poor nutrition, obesity, weakness, fatigue, pain in the legs and a lack of adequate sunshine, were included in the study. Anthropometric measurements, body …

Purpose To verify whether percentage of body fat, physical fitness, physical activity and calorie intake mediates the multicomponent intervention effect on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese children, and present the relative contribution of each mediator. Methods This is an intervention study, developed with 35 overweight/obese school-aged children (control group= 17 and intervention group= 18), aged between 7 and 13 years (9.05±1.90). A 12-week multicomponent intervention was performed, consisting of physical …

Background: This study aimed to identify percent body fat cut-off points related to metabolic syndrome in a large sample of Korean adolescents. Methods: The subjects (n= 2120; boys= 1107, girls= 1013) were middle and high school students aged 12–17 yr who participated in the Korean National Fitness Award Project in 2013. Percent body fat was estimated via eight-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis. Metabolic syndrome was classified using established standards based on the National Cholesterol Education Program with the …