Metabolic Syndrome among Asian Indian children

• The metabolic syndrome (MS) in children is an important clinical marker of diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) in young adulthood.¹

• There is an alarming increase in MS in Indian children that parallel the obesity.²Insulin resistance, the underlying pathophysiology of MS is  reported to be present in nearly 30 per cent of children and adolescents in India, more so in girls.²

• South Asian children have higher blood pressure levels than white children at every BMI categories in the United States.⁴

• Obese children in Malaysia are at  a greater risk of developing MS, with Indian children having higher risk than Chinese and Malays.⁵

• Exercise training improves insulin sensitivity and endothelial vascular function beyond the benefits of glycemic control and blood pressure reduction in adults and children.⁹

• Early intervention aimed at managing obesity could reduce the risk of developing the MS. It is conceivable that even in the absence of weight loss, overweight and obese children may improve their cardiovascular risk profile by lifestyle changes and therapies targeted toward individual components of the syndrome.¹⁰ 

Sources

1. Misra A, Khurana L, Vikram NK, Goel A, Wasir JS. Metabolic syndrome in children: current issues and South Asian perspective. Nutrition. Nov-Dec 2007;23(11-12):895-910.

2. Misra A, Misra R, Wijesuriya M, Banerjee D. The metabolic syndrome in South Asians: continuing escalation & possible solutions. Indian J Med Res. Mar 2007;125(3):345-354.

3. Ganie MA. Metabolic syndrome in Indian children – An alarming rise. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. Jan 2010;14(1):1-2.

4. Jafar TH, Islam M, Poulter N, et al. Children in South Asia have higher body mass-adjusted blood pressure levels than white children in the United States: a comparative study. Circulation. Mar 15 2005;111(10):1291-1297.

5. Wee BS, Poh BK, Bulgiba A, Ismail MN, Ruzita AT, Hills AP. Risk of metabolic syndrome among children living in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur: A case control study. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:333.

6. Love-Osborne KA, Nadeau KJ, Sheeder J, Fenton LZ, Zeitler P. Presence of the metabolic syndrome in obese adolescents predicts impaired glucose tolerance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Adolesc Health. Jun 2008;42(6):543-548.

7. Yajnik CS, Joglekar CV, Pandit AN, et al. Higher offspring birth weight predicts the metabolic syndrome in mothers but not fathers 8 years after delivery: the Pune Children’s Study. Diabetes. Aug 2003;52(8):2090-2096.

8. Boney CM, Verma A, Tucker R, Vohr BR. Metabolic syndrome in childhood: association with birth weight, maternal obesity, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Pediatrics. Mar 2005;115(3):e290-296.

9. Stewart KJ. Exercise training and the cardiovascular consequences of type 2 diabetes and hypertension: plausible mechanisms for improving cardiovascular health. Jama. Oct 2 2002;288(13):1622-1631.

10. Steinberger J, Daniels SR, Eckel RH, et al. Progress and challenges in metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Atherosclerosis, Hypertension, and Obesity in the Young Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism. Circulation. Feb 3 2009;119(4):628-647.