Zafar Iqbal Hydrie, Abdul Basit, Rubina Hakeem, Yaqoob Ahmadani, Qamar Masood.
Comparison of fasting glucose, insulin levels and lipid profile in normal and overweight children.
J Postgrad Med Inst Jan ;19(1):8-13.

Objective: The current study examines the relation of normal and overweight children according to percentiles of BMI with fasting glucose, insulin and lipid levels amongst children. Material and Methods: Data was collected from 107 school children aged 8-10 years in Karachi from October 2001 to May 2002. After informed consent, anthropometrics measurements (height and weight) and blood samples were taken in school by team of medical professionals. Fasting Blood samples were analyzed for glucose, insulin levels and lipid profile (total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL & HDL). Results: There were 44 boys and 63 girls in our study. Fifteen children (14%) were overweight having BMI > 85th percentile, 79 (73.8%) were normal having BMI between 15-85 percentile while 13 (12.1%) were underweight with BMI < 15" Percentile. Mean values of total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin were higher in overweight children as compared to normal weight children. High levels of TC and LDL-C were defined as >200 mg/dL and >130 mg/dL respectively. TG level 130 mg/dL was considered high, and an HDL-C level <35 mg/dL was considered low. Overweight children had more adverse lipid profile and insulin levels compared to normal children. Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate that overweight children could be at a substantially increased risk for adverse levels of several cardiovascular disease risk factors. Our results suggest that overweight should be considered while using BMI as an initial screening tool. Education and prevention should be the primary goal and, if successful, will help reduce the problem.

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