Effects of combined aerobic and resistance training on the inflammatory profile of children with overweight/obesity: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the effects of a 20-week combined (aerobic and resistance) exercise training programme on the inflammatory profile of prepubertal children with overweight or obesity. METHODS: Totally 109 participants (10.1 ± 1.1 years, 41% girls) were randomly allocated to an exercise or control group. Adiponectin, C-reactive protein, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-1, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, leptin, tumour necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) were analysed in plasma. Total white blood cell (WBC) count and immune subpopulations (eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes) were also determined. RESULTS: No intervention effect was found for any of the analysed biomarkers (all p ≥ 0.05). We observed a significant sex by intervention interaction for IL-1ß (p = 0.03). When stratifying the sample by sex, the exercise programme induced a significant effect on IL-1ß levels (mean Z-score difference, 0.66 [95% confidence interval 0.32-1.01]) in girls, but not in boys. A lower number of girls in the exercise group showed a meaningful reduction in IL-1ß (i.e., ≥0.2 standard deviations) than in the control group (15% vs. 85%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This exercise programme failed to improve the inflammatory profile in prepubertal children with overweight/obesity. Future studies should explore the effect of longer exercise interventions and in combination with diet.

Exercise is also medicine for iron homeostasis.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is gaining popularity as an effective exercise modality to improve cardiometabolic health. Combining high-throughput/sensitivity proteome analyses in subcutaneous adipose tissue with biochemical blood measures, Larsen et al. recently provided mechanistic insights into a potential beneficial role of this exercise modality on iron homeostasis at the whole-body level.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and targeted proteomics involved in brain and cardiovascular health in children with overweight/obesity.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and brain health impairments. However, the molecular mechanisms linking CRF to health in children are poorly understood. We aimed to examine protein levels related to brain health and CVD in plasma of fit compared to unfit children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). Eighty-seven children with OW/OB (10.08 ± 1.1 years, 59% boys) from the ActiveBrains project were included. CRF was measured by performing a treadmill test, and children were categorized into fit or unfit. Targeted proteomics in plasma was performed using Olink's proximity extension assay technology of Neurology panel in the whole sample and of Cardiovascular panel in a subsample. Sixteen proteins (PLXNB3, sFRP3, CLEC1B, RSPO1, Gal8, CLEC10A, GCP5, MDGA1, CTSC, LAT, IL4RA, PRSS27, CXCL1, Gal9, MERTK, and GT) were differentially expressed between fit and unfit children with OW/OB after adjusting for sex, maturational status, and body mass index. However, statistically significant differences disappeared after applying FDR correction. Potential candidate proteins related to CRF levels in children with OW/OB were detected, being involved in several biological processes such as neurogenesis, immune/inflammatory response, signal transduction, platelet activation. Nevertheless, these preliminary findings should be confirmed or contrasted in future studies using larger sample sizes, longitudinal and experimental designs.HighlightsThe molecular mechanisms underlying the link of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with cardiovascular and brain health in children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) are poorly understood.Targeted proteomic analysis revealed differentially expressed proteins (PLXNB3, sFRP3, CLEC1B, RSPO1, Gal8, CLEC10A, GCP5, MDGA1, CTSC, LAT, IL4RA, PRSS27, CXCL1, Gal9, MERTK, and GT) in plasma of "Fit" compared to "Unfit" children with OW/OB. These proteins are involved in several biological processes such as immune/inflammatory response, neurogenesis, signal transduction, and cellular metabolic process.Longitudinal and experimental studies are warranted to reveal how improvements in CRF are related to changes in circulating levels of the abovementioned proteins and how they might reduce cardiovascular diseases risk factors and brain health impairments later in life.

Neurotrophic factors and brain health in children with overweight and obesity: The role of cardiorespiratory fitness.

ABSTRACTNeurotrophic factors and cardiorespiratory fitness are both considered important in developmental trajectories but their link to brain health remains poorly understood. The aims of the study were to examine whether levels of plasma-derived neurotrophic factors were associated with brain health indicators in children with overweight or obesity; and to test whether these associations were moderated by cardiorespiratory fitness. 100 children (41% girls) were included in this analysis. Plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor-1, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and epidermal growth factor were determined by XMap technology. Academic performance and executive function were assessed using validated neuropsychological tests. Hippocampal volume was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using the 20-m Shuttle Run Test. Insulin-like growth factor-1 was positively associated with cognitive flexibility. Stratified analyses by fitness categories (i.e. unfit vs. fit) showed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor was positively associated with right posterior hippocampal volume in fit children, and epidermal growth factor was negatively associated with right hippocampal, and right anterior hippocampal volumes in their unfit peers, with a moderating role of cardiorespiratory fitness in these associations. However, all these significant associations disappeared after correction for multiple comparisons. The association between neurotrophic factors and brain health indicators in children with overweight/obesity was neither strong nor consistent. These results could help enhance our understanding of determinants of brain health in children with overweight/obesity.HighlightsThis study provides novel findings on the associations between neurotrophic factors and a wide range of brain health indicators in children.This study additionally explored the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in these associations.The association between neurotrophic factors and brain health in children with overweight/obesity was neither strong nor consistent.Cardiorespiratory fitness moderated the associations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and epidermal growth factor with right hippocampal volume.

Inflammatory markers and bone mass in children with overweight/obesity: the role of muscular fitness.

OBJECTIVES: To examine which inflammatory markers are associated with bone mass and whether this association varies according to muscular fitness in children with overweight/obesity. METHODS: Plasma interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF), and C-reactive protein were analyzed in 55 children aged 8-11 years. A muscular fitness score was computed. Bone mineral content (BMC) of the total body-less head (TBLH) and lumbar spine (LS) were assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: IL-6 (ß = -0.136) and VEGF (ß = -0.099) were associated with TBLH BMC, while TNF-α (ß = -0.345) and IL-1ß (ß = 0.212) were associated with LS BMC (P < 0.05). The interaction effect of muscular fitness showed a trend in the association of VEGF with TBLH BMC (P = 0.122) and TNF-α with LS BMC (P = 0.057). Stratified analyses by muscular fitness levels showed an inverse association of VEGF with TBLH BMC (ß = -0.152) and TNF-α with LS BMC (ß = -0.491) in the low-fitness group, while no association was found in the high-fitness group. CONCLUSION: IL-6, VEGF, TNF-α, and IL-1ß are significantly associated with bone mass. Higher muscular fitness may attenuate the adverse effect of high VEGF and TNF-α on bone mass.