Alterations in metabolic status of healthy individuals with and without obesity during transition from adolescence to young adulthood

Abstract

Aim: Extensive research is carried out throughout the world in healthy persons with obesity phenotype in concern with prevalence, metabolic profiling, etc. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, not many studies have investigated the status of adiponectin, specific inflammatory changes, oxidative damage in healthy adolescents and young adults with obesity. Present study was undertaken in adolescents and young adults of urban population in a district of North Karnataka, India, in a view to understand relationship between hormone adiponectin, oxidative stress markers like C3, C4, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in non-hypertensive, non-diabetic, euthyroid individuals with and without obesity. Methods: Participant selection was done using cluster sampling technique. Participating adolescents and young adults, each with and without obesity were included in the study. Screening of participants for diabetes, hypertension, and thyroid disorders was done, their serum level of adiponectin, hs-CRP, C3, C4, ceruloplasmin (Cp), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were estimated using standardized methods in National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) laboratory. Results: Adiponectin (young adults lower than adolescents, P = 0.01) levels were low, while hs-CRP and Cp (young adults higher than adolescents, P = 0.01) levels were high with increasing age in non-obese. While in persons having obesity, aging adiponectin levels were low while hs-CRP, C3, Cp levels were high significantly. Females without obesity had significantly higher values of C3 than males. Adiponectin showed higher levels in females than males, however, statistical significance could not be achieved (P = 0.308). While females with obesity, exhibited statistically lower levels of adiponectin, and higher levels of C3 and C4. Conclusions: Being non-diabetic and non-hypertensive yet obese, tagged by one time of assay, does not suffice to be categorized as healthy. Healthy young adults with obesity are exhibiting lower levels of adiponectin and higher levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers compared to adolescents with obesity. This implies, the so categorized “healthy obese” participants are in a phase of transition towards an unhealthy state.