Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with Metabolically Healthy Obesity: Role of Insulin Sensitivity

Federica Vinciguerra; Andrea Tumminia; Roberto Baratta; Alfredo Ferro; Salvatore Alaimo; Maria Hagnäs; Marco Graziano; Riccardo Vigneri; Lucia Frittitta

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with Metabolically Healthy Obesity: Role of Insulin Sensitivity

Obesity represents a major risk factor for metabolic disorders, but some individuals, &ldquo:metabolically healthy&rdquo: (MHO), show less clinical evidence of these complications, in contrast to &ldquo:metabolically unhealthy&rdquo: (MUO) individuals. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to assess the prevalence of the MHO phenotype in a cohort of 246 overweight/obese Italian children and adolescents, and to evaluate their characteristics and the role of insulin resistance. Homeostasis model assessment&ndash:insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), insulinogenic index (IGI) and disposition index (DI) were all calculated from the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). MHO was defined by either: (1) HOMA-IR &lt: 2.5 (MHO-IRes), or (2) absence of the criteria for metabolic syndrome (MHO-MetS). The MHO prevalence, according to MHO-MetS or MHO-IRes criteria, was 37.4% and 15.8%, respectively. ISI was the strongest predictor of the MHO phenotype, independently associated with both MHO-IRes and MHO-MetS. The MHO-MetS group was further subdivided into insulin sensitive or insulin resistant on the basis of HOMA-IR (either &lt: or &ge: 2.5). Insulin sensitive MHO-MetS patients had a better metabolic profile compared to both insulin resistant MHO-MetS and MUO-MetS individuals. These data underscore the relevance of insulin sensitivity to identifying, among young individuals with overweight/obesity, the ones who have a more favorable metabolic phenotype.

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