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Inflammatory mediators in overweight and obese Spanish adolescents. The AVENA Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 28, pages S59–S63 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify if there is an association between overweight and a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation in adolescents.

DESIGN: The study is a part of the cross-sectional multicenter study AVENA, designed to evaluate the nutritional status of a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. The adolescents were divided into two groups: (1) nonoverweight and (2) overweight/obesity using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) standards.

SUBJECTS: A geographically representative subsample of the AVENA study including 493 Spanish adolescents, aged 13–18 y (236 females/257 males), participated in this study.

MEASUREMENTS: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and in vitro production of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α were measured, together with a detailed anthropometry.

RESULTS: The inflammatory markers showed generally higher values in subjects with overweight/obesity than in those with nonoverweight, with only CRP showing significant differences (the means were 0.83 and 1.27 mg/l in the nonoverweight and overweight/obesity groups, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Although we have not studied if adolescent overweight and obesity play an initiating role in the development of future diseases, we suggest it may induce a chronic low-grade inflammatory state, which points out the importance of maintaining an appropriate body weight, to avoid obesity-related diseases in adulthood.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS 00/0015) and grants by Panrico, SA, Madaus, SA and Procter & Gamble, SA, España. We gratefully acknowledge all participating adolescents, and their parents and teachers for their collaboration. We also acknowledge Ms Laura Barrios for her statistically support.

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Author notes

  1. For details, see Appendix A1.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Immunonutrition Research Group, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain

    J Wärnberg & A Marcos

  2. Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    L A Moreno & M I Mesana

Authors
  1. J Wärnberg
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  2. L A Moreno
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  3. M I Mesana
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  4. A Marcos
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Consortia

the AVENA group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Marcos.

Appendix A1. AVENA Sudy Group

Appendix A1. AVENA Sudy Group

Coordinador:A Marcos, Madrid.

Main Investigators:MJ Castillo, Granada.A Marcos, Madrid.S Zamora, Murcia.M García Fuentes, Santander.M Bueno, Zaragoza, Spain.

Granada: MJ Castillo, MD Cano, R Sola (Biochemistry); A Gutiérrez, JL Mesa, J Ruiz (Physical fitness); M Delgado, P Tercedor, P Chillón (Physical activity), M Martín, F Carreño, F Ortega, GV Rodríguez, R Castillo, F Arellano (Collaborators). Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada.

Madrid: A Marcos, M González-Gross, J Wärnberg, S Medina, F Sánchez Muniz, E Nova, A Montero, B de la Rosa, S Gómez, S Samartín, J Romeo, R Álvarez, (Coordination, immunology) A Álvarez (Cytometric analysis) L Barrios (Statistical analysis) A Leyva, B Payá (Psychological assessment). L Martínez, E Ramos, R Ortiz, A Urzanqui (Collaborators). Instituto de Nutrición y Bromatología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), E-28040 Madrid.

Murcia: S Zamora, M Garaulet, F Pérez-Llamas, JC Baraza, JF Marín, F Pérez de Heredia, MA Fernández, C González, R García, C Torralba, E Donat, E Morales, MD García, JA Martínez, JJ Hernández, A Asensio, FJ Plaza, MJ López (Diet analysis). Dpto. Fisiología, Universidad de Murcia, E-30100 Murcia.

Santander: M García Fuentes, D González-Lamuño, P de Rufino, R Pérez-Prieto, D Fernández, T Amigo (Genetic study). Dpto. Pediatría, Universidad de Cantabria, E-19003 Santander.

Z aragoza: M Bueno, L Moreno, A Sarriá, J Fleta, G Rodríguez, CM Gil, MI Mesana, JA Casajús, Vicente Blay, María Guadalupe Blay (Anthropometric assessment). Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, E-50009 Zaragoza.

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Wärnberg, J., Moreno, L., Mesana, M. et al. Inflammatory mediators in overweight and obese Spanish adolescents. The AVENA Study. Int J Obes 28 (Suppl 3), S59–S63 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802809

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