Childhood obesity accelerates biological ageing: is oxidative stress a link?

ABSTRACT

Obesity is multifactorial pathophysiological condition with an imbalance in biochemical, immunochemical, redox status and genetic parameters values. We aimed estimate connection between relative leukocyte telomere lengths (rLRL) - biomarker of cellular aging with metabolic and redox status biomarkers values in a group of obese and lean children. The study includes 110 obese and 42 lean children and adolescents, both genders. The results suggested that rLTL are significantly shorter in obese, compared to lean group (p<0,01). Negative correlation of rLTL with total oxidant status, TOS (Spearman's ρ = -0.365, p<0.001) as well as with C reactive protein (Spearman's ρ= -0,363, p<0.001) were observed. Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted three distinct factors (i.e. principal components) entitled as prooxidant factor with 35% of total variability; antioxidant factor with 30% of total variability and lipid antioxidant - biological ageing factor with 12% of the total variability. The most important predictor of body mass index (BMI) >30kg/m2 according to logistic regression analysis was PCA derived antioxidant factor's score (OR 1.66, 95th Cl 1.05-2.6, p=0.029). PCA analysis confirmed oxidative stress importance in biological ageing caused by obesity and its multiple consequences related to prooxidants augmentation and antioxidants exhaustion and gave us clear signs of disturbed cellular homeostasis deepness, even before any overt disease occurrence.