Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and components of the metabolic syndrome in Lebanese adolescents

Abstract

Background: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese adolescents has been reported to range between 18–42%, depending on country of origin, thus suggesting an ethnic-based association between obesity and MS.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the magnitude of the association between obesity, insulin resistance and components of MS among adolescents in Lebanon.

Subjects and methods: The sample included 263 adolescents at 4^th and 5^th Tanner stages of puberty (104 obese; 78 overweight; 81 normal weight). Anthropometric, biochemical and blood pressure measurements were performed. Body fat was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Results: According to International Diabetes Federation criteria, MS was identified in 21.2% of obese, 3.8% of overweight and 1.2% of normal weight subjects. The most common metabolic abnormalities among subjects having MS were elevated waist circumference (96.2%), low HDL (96.2%) and hypertriglyceridemia (73.1%). Insulin resistance was identified in all subjects having MS. Regression analyses showed that percentage body fat, waist circumference and BMI were similar in their ability to predict the MS in this age group.

Conclusions: MS was identified in a substantial proportion of Lebanese obese adolescents, thus highlighting the importance of early screening for obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities and of developing successful multi-component interventions addressing adolescent obesity.

Keywords::

• Metabolic syndrome
• obesity
• body fat
• BMI
• waist circumference
• insulin resistance
• adolescents
• Lebanon

Acknowledgements

LN drafted the manuscript and contributed to study design, data acquisition and interpretation. NH contributed to study design, data interpretation and critically revised the manuscript. FN contributed to data analysis and critically revised the manuscript. M-ZH contributed to biochemical analysis of samples. NA contributed to data analysis. MT, AE, CH and SS contributed to data collection and analysis in partial fulfilment of their MSc Degrees.

This study was supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the University Research Board (URB) at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research through its support to the Associated Research Unit on Undernutrition and Obesity in Lebanon.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.