Endotoxin biomarkers associated with obesity and cardiometabolic risk in youth, study reveals
USA: A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has linked endotoxin biomarkers with the development of childhood obesity and cardiometabolic conditions tied to exposure to fetal overnutrition.
Metabolic endotoxemia is shown to be a shared mechanism underlying childhood obesity and early-onset metabolic diseases (e.g., non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes). Against this context, Wei Perng, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, and colleagues aimed to examine prospective associations of serum endotoxin biomarkers lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its binding protein, LPS binding protein (LBP), and anti-endotoxin core IgG (EndoCabIgG) with adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in youth in a prospective study.
The study included 393 youth in the EPOCH cohort in Colorado. Recruitment was done between 2006-2009 at age 10 y (baseline) and followed for six years (follow-up). The researchers examined associations of endotoxin biomarkers at baseline with adiposity (VAT, SAT, BMI z-score, waist circumference, skinfold) and cardiometabolic risk (glucose, insulin, lipid profile, adipokines, blood pressure) across both visits using mixed-effects regression, and with a hepatic fat fraction (HFF) at follow-up using linear regression.
The researchers reported the following findings:
- Higher LPS and LBP predicted greater adiposity across follow-up.
- Each 1-unit ln-transformed LPS corresponded with 0.23 units BMI z-score, 5.66 mm 3 VAT, 30.7 mm 3 SAT, and 8.26 mm skinfold sum. EndoCabIgG was associated with VAT only (3.03 mm 3).
- LPS was associated with higher insulin (1.93 µU/mL) and leptin (2.28 ng/mL), and an adverse lipid profile.
- No association was observed with HFF. Accounting for pubertal status and lifestyle behaviors did not change findings.
- Adjustment for pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational diabetes attenuated most associations.
The researchers concluded, "serum endotoxin may be a marker of pathophysiological processes underlying the development of childhood obesity and cardiometabolic conditions tied to exposure to fetal overnutrition."
Reference:
Wei Perng, PhD, Jacob E Friedman, PhD, Rachel C Janssen, MS, Deborah H Glueck, PhD, Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, Endotoxin biomarkers are associated with adiposity and cardiometabolic risk across 6 years of follow-up in youth, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2022;, dgac149, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgac149
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, endotoxin, obesity, cardiometabolic risk, biomarkers, youth, children, adiposity, NAFLD, overnutrition, Wei Perng, childhood obesity
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