α-Defensins and bacterial/permeability-increasing protein as new markers of childhood obesity.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to test whether α-defensins and bacterial/permeability-increasing protein were related to obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in prepubertal children.

METHODS: Plasma α-defensins and bacterial/permeability-increasing protein, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), HOMA-IR and HMW-adiponectin were assessed.

RESULTS: In a cross-sectional study (N = 250), higher α-defensins concentrations were positively associated with BMI, waist, SBP, cIMT, HOMA-IR and negative correlated with HMW-adiponectin (all between r = 0.191 and r = 0.377, p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.0001). Conversely, plasma bacterial/permeability-increasing protein concentrations presented inversed associated with the same parameters (all between r = -0.124 and r = -0.329; p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.0001). In a longitudinal study (N = 91), α-defensins at age 7 were associated with BMI (β = 0.189, p = 0.002; model R2  = 0.847) and waist (β = 0.241, pthinsp;= 0.001; model R2  = 0.754) at age 10.

CONCLUSIONS: α-Defensins and bacterial/permeability-increasing protein may be the markers of childhood obesity. Increased concentrations of α-defensins may predict BMI and abdominal fat deposition in children.