Lipid Profiling Identifies Modifiable Signatures of Cardiometabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents with Obesity

Overview

Journal Nat Med

Specialties General Medicine
Molecular Biology

Date 2024 Sep 20

PMID 39304782

Authors

Yun Huang

Karolina Sulek

Sara E Stinson

Louise Aas Holm

Min Kim

Kajetan Trost

Kourosh Hooshmand

Morten Asp Vonsild Lund

Cilius E Fonvig

Helene Baek Juel

Trine Nielsen

Lars Angquist

Peter Rossing

Maja Thiele

Aleksander Krag

Jens-Christian Holm

Cristina Legido-Quigley

Torben Hansen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Pediatric obesity is a progressive, chronic disease that can lead to serious cardiometabolic complications. Here we investigated the peripheral lipidome in 958 children and adolescents with overweight or obesity and 373 with normal weight, in a cross-sectional study. We also implemented a family-based, personalized program to assess the effects of obesity management on 186 children and adolescents in a clinical setting. Using mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, we report an increase in ceramides, alongside a decrease in lysophospholipids and omega-3 fatty acids with obesity metabolism. Ceramides, phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylinositols were associated with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk, whereas sphingomyelins showed inverse associations. Additionally, a panel of three lipids predicted hepatic steatosis as effectively as liver enzymes. Lipids partially mediated the association between obesity and cardiometabolic traits. The nonpharmacological management reduced levels of ceramides, phospholipids and triglycerides, indicating that lowering the degree of obesity could partially restore a healthy lipid profile in children and adolescents.

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