Insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, diastolic to systolic blood pressure ratio and epicardial fat are related to sedentary time, and inversely related to physical activity in school-aged children.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for the overall health. Objectives are: (1) To compare metabolic (MRM) and cardiovascular-risk-markers (CRM) in children according to their PA-level; (2) to explore the associations of MRM and CRM with PA and sedentary time (ST); and (3) to identify the associations between MRM and CRM in less (LA) and more active (MA) children.

Methods: A total of 238 apparently healthy school-aged children were enrolled (132 boys/106 girls; 9.

Perirenal and epicardial fat and their association with carotid intima-media thickness in children.

Recent data suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis is more related to visceral adipose tissue distribution than to overall fat mass. Both perirenal fat and epicardial fat are visceral fat depots surrounding the kidneys and the myocardium, respectively, which can be easily assessed by ultrasound. Their clinical relevance in children is largely unknown.

Effects of metformin administration on endocrine-metabolic parameters, visceral adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors in children with obesity and risk markers for metabolic syndrome: A pilot study.

Background: Metformin treatment (1000-2000 mg/day) over 6 months in pubertal children and/or adolescents with obesity and hyperinsulinism is associated with a reduction in body mass index (BMI) and the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR). We aimed to ascertain if long-term treatment (24 months) with lower doses of metformin (850 mg/day) normalizes the endocrine-metabolic abnormalities, improves body composition, and reduces the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in pre-puberal and early pubertal children with obesity.

Methods: A pilot double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 18 pre-puberal and early pubertal (Tanner stage I-II) children with obesity and risk markers for metabolic syndrome.

Perirenal fat is related to carotid intima-media thickness in children.

Background/objectives: It is well known that increased abdominal fat is associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk. Perirenal fat has been recently associated with CV risk in adults. However, studies with children are lacking.

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.