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Gender-related differences in cardiometabolic risk factors and oxidative stress among prepubertal children with obesity

  • Nelson Godinho ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Manuela Morato , António Albino-Teixeira , Alberto Caldas Afonso , Teresa Sousa and Liane Correia-Costa
Published/Copyright: December 7, 2023
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 37 Issue 1

Abstract

Objectives

Gender-related differences in oxidative stress, nitric oxide bioavailability, and cardiometabolic risk factors were examined in a cross-sectional study involving 313 prepubertal children (8–9 years old) from the generation XXI birth-cohort.

Methods

Anthropometric measurements, cardiometabolic variables, and redox markers were assessed, including plasma and urinary isoprostanes (P-Isop, U-Isop), plasma total antioxidant status (P-TAS), serum myeloperoxidase (MPO), plasma and urinary nitrates and nitrites (P-NOX, U-NOX), and urinary hydrogen peroxide (U-H2O2).

Results

Girls showed higher levels of total/non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) compared to boys. Notably, U-H2O2 values were lower in girls. When stratifying by body mass index (BMI) and gender, both girls and boys exhibited higher MPO concentration and U-Isop values. Uric acid concentration was higher in overweight and obese girls than in normal weight girls, while no significant differences were observed among boys across BMI categories. Furthermore, U-NOX values differed only in boys, with higher levels observed in overweight and obese individuals compared to those with normal weight. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age and BMI z-score, demonstrated inverse associations between U-H2O2 and pulse wave velocity values, as well as between U-NOX and total or non-HDL cholesterol, exclusively in boys. In girls, a positive association between U-Isop and HOMA-IR values was observed.

Conclusions

In conclusion, gender differentially impacts oxidative stress, nitric oxide bioavailability, and cardiometabolic risk factors in prepubertal children. Prepubertal girls appear more susceptible to oxidative stress-induced metabolic dysfunction, while in boys, elevated levels of redox and nitric oxide bioavailability markers seem to provide protection against arterial stiffness and lipid homeostasis.

Keywords: gender differences; oxidative stress; cardiometabolic risk factors; childhood obesity
Corresponding author: Nelson Godinho, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the families enrolled in Generation XXI for their kindness, all members of the research team for their enthusiasm and perseverance and the participating hospitals and their staff for their help and support.

  1. Research ethics: The ObiKid study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João and Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, and complies with the Helsinki Declaration, the guidelines for the ethical conduct of medical research involving children and the current national legislation.

  2. Informed consent: Written informed consent from parents (or their legal substitute) and verbal assent from children were obtained regarding information and biological samples gathering.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. Nelson Oliveira Godinho: conceptualization (supporting); writing – original draft (lead); formal analysis (supporting); visualization (lead). Manuela Morato: writing – review & editing (equal). António Albino Teixeira: writing – review & editing (equal). Alberto Caldas Afonso: review & editing (equal). Liane Correia-Costa: conceptualization (lead); writing – original draft (support-ing); formal analysis (lead); writing – review & editing (lead); visualization (supporting); supervision (equal). Teresa Sousa: conceptualization (lead); writing – original draft (supporting); formal analy-sis (lead); writing – review & editing (lead); visualization (supporting); supervision (equal).

  4. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: This project was supported by FEDER funds from Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade – COMPETE (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028751), by national funds from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Lisbon, Portugal (PTDC/DTP-PIC/0239/2012) and by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. L.C. was supported by FCT (grant SFRH/SINTD/95898/2013) and T.S. was supported by FCT and POPH/FSE (EC) (Ciência 2008 Programme, SFRH/BPD/112005) and a contract under the DL 57/2016 (“Norma Transitória”).

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2023-06-17
Accepted: 2023-11-09
Published Online: 2023-12-07
Published in Print: 2024-01-29

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Mini Review
  3. Outcomes and experiences of adults with congenital hypogonadism can inform improvements in the management of delayed puberty
  4. Original Articles
  5. Very elevated serum copeptin concentrations occur in a subset of healthy children in the minutes after phlebotomy
  6. Efficacy and safety of leuprorelin 3-month depot (11.25 mg) for idiopathic central precocious puberty treatment of Chinese girls: a single-center retrospective study
  7. MicroRNA-29a and microRNA-122 expressions and other inflammatory markers among obese children with diabetes
  8. Health related quality of life is associated with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in overweight children
  9. Experience with carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency: diagnostic challenges in the myopathic form
  10. Gender-related differences in cardiometabolic risk factors and oxidative stress among prepubertal children with obesity
  11. Recurrence and survival for patients with thyroid carcinoma in the pediatric age group in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: retrospective analysis of a multicentre cohort
  12. Longitudinal assessment of auxological parameters, adult height outcome and its determinants in leuprolide-treated Indian girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty
  13. Ambulatory blood pressure monitorisation in children with recombinant growth hormone treatment
  14. Letrozole combined with rhGH treatment increases the adult height of short pubertal boys
  15. Case Reports
  16. Hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction in Sturge–Weber syndrome: case report and review of the literature
  17. Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity in siblings with pseudohypoparathyroidism 1B due to maternal STX16 deletion
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2023-0286
Keywords for this article
gender differences; oxidative stress; cardiometabolic risk factors; childhood obesity

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Mini Review
  3. Outcomes and experiences of adults with congenital hypogonadism can inform improvements in the management of delayed puberty
  4. Original Articles
  5. Very elevated serum copeptin concentrations occur in a subset of healthy children in the minutes after phlebotomy
  6. Efficacy and safety of leuprorelin 3-month depot (11.25 mg) for idiopathic central precocious puberty treatment of Chinese girls: a single-center retrospective study
  7. MicroRNA-29a and microRNA-122 expressions and other inflammatory markers among obese children with diabetes
  8. Health related quality of life is associated with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in overweight children
  9. Experience with carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency: diagnostic challenges in the myopathic form
  10. Gender-related differences in cardiometabolic risk factors and oxidative stress among prepubertal children with obesity
  11. Recurrence and survival for patients with thyroid carcinoma in the pediatric age group in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: retrospective analysis of a multicentre cohort
  12. Longitudinal assessment of auxological parameters, adult height outcome and its determinants in leuprolide-treated Indian girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty
  13. Ambulatory blood pressure monitorisation in children with recombinant growth hormone treatment
  14. Letrozole combined with rhGH treatment increases the adult height of short pubertal boys
  15. Case Reports
  16. Hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction in Sturge–Weber syndrome: case report and review of the literature
  17. Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity in siblings with pseudohypoparathyroidism 1B due to maternal STX16 deletion
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