AUTHOR=Vasileva Fidanka , Carreras-Badosa Gemma , Bassols Judit , Serrano-Ferrer Juan , Font-Lladó Raquel , López-Ros Victor , Osiniri Inés , Martínez-Calcerrada Jose-Maria , San Millán Marta , López-Bermejo Abel , Prats-Puig Anna 

TITLE=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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1339860

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1339860

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=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/136 girls; 9.1±1.8 years) and body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS) and blood pressure were assessed. Fasting venous blood sampling was performed to assess insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and high-sensitivity-C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Epicardial fat, interventricular septal and left ventricular posterior wall thicknesses were assessed by high-resolution ultrasonography. PA and ST were assessed by enKid-questionnaire. Children were classified based on enKid-score as being LA and MA (below and above 50th percentile for PA). 

Results: MA-children had lower values for: BMI SDS, diastolic-to-systolic blood pressure ratio, HOMA-IR and hsCRP (7.02% to 61.5% lower, p=0.040 to p<0.0001) compared to LA-children. MRM and CRM were positively associated with ST (p=0.003 to p<0.001), and negatively associated with PA (p=0.044 to p<0.001). Finally, MRM were positively associated with CRM (p=0.008 to p<0.0001). Interestingly, the latter associations were observed in LA-children but were not present in MA-children.

Conclusions: More PA is associated with better cardio-metabolic profile in school-aged children. PA seems to modulate the associations between MRM and CRM, thus reinforcing the idea that fostering PA in children may lower the risk for development of a cardio-metabolic disease.