Relationships between biochemical abnormalities and anthropometric indices of overweight, adiposity and body fat distribution in Japanese elementary school children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the anthropometric indices linked to the biochemical risk factors for atherosclerosis in Japanese obese elementary school children, ages ranging from 6 to 12 years.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of obese children based on fasting blood samples.

SETTING: Outpatient clinic of University Hospital.

SUBJECTS: 65 consecutive patients with simple obesity (38 boys and 27 girls), and age-matched controls, 184 boys and 205 girls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percent obesity and body mass index as indices of being overweight; percent body fat and the sum of four skinfold thicknesses as indices of adiposity; waist-to-hip circumference ratio and waist-to-thigh circumference ratio as indices of body fat distribution. The anthropometric indices were standardized by calculating standard deviation scores based on data from control children.

RESULTS: In the obese boys, all six anthropometric indices studied correlated closely with serum biochemical indices, and strong correlations were observed among the indices of overweight, adiposity and body fat distribution. In contrast, only the indices of body fat distribution, not those of overweight or of adiposity, were correlated with serum biochemical indices in the obese girls. No relationship was found between the indices of body fat distribution and the other anthropometric indices in the obese girls. Thus, the profile of the obese girls differed from that of their male counterparts.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that body fat distribution is related to certain biochemical complications of childhood obesity, and that androgyny in fat patterns induces metabolic derangements in children.