Socioeconomic inequalities in lipid and glucose metabolism in early childhood in a population-based cohort: the ABCD-Study

Racial and Economic Differences in the Risk of Hyperglycemia in Children Hospitalized With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background: The underlying mechanism of hyperglycemia in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is insulin resistance. Although race and economic status have been linked to increased insulin resistance in children, these have not been explored as predictors of hyperglycemia in children with ALL. The objective of this study was to analyze race and income as predictors of hyperglycemia in a diverse sample of children hospitalized with ALL in the United States in the year 2016. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of 18,077 hospitalizations of White, Black, and Hispanic children under the age of 21 years with ALL contained in a nationally representative database. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were constructed to estimate the relationships between race, median household income, age, sex, and obesity and the odds of hyperglycemia in hospitalized children with ALL. Results: Hyperglycemia occurred during 5.3% of the hospitalizations. Black children were 37% more likely to develop hyperglycemia than White children. The risk for hyperglycemia did not differ between Hispanic and White children. Residing in areas where annual median income was below $54,000 was associated with 1.4-fold increased odds of hyperglycemia, compared to the wealthiest areas. Older children, females, and those diagnosed with obesity were also at increased risk for hyperglycemia. Discussion: An association has been found between treatment-induced hyperglycemia and increased mortality. For this reason, the racial and economic differences in the risk for hyperglycemia identified in this study deserve further consideration.

Maternal overnutrition impairs offspring's insulin sensitivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the association between maternal overnutrition and offspring's insulin sensitivity—following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses statement. Studies published in English before April 22, 2019, were identified through searches of four medical databases. After selection, 15 studies aiming to explore the association between prepregnancy body mass index (ppBMI) or gestational weight gain (GWG) of non‐diabetic mothers and their offspring's insulin sensitivity (fasting insulin or glucose level and Homeostatic Measurement Assessment for Insulin Resistance [HOMA‐IR]) were included in the meta‐analysis. Associations of ppBMI and GWG with offspring's insulin sensitivity were analysed by pooling regression coefficients or standardized differences in means with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Maternal ppBMI showed significant positive correlations with the level of both fasting insulin and HOMA‐IR in offspring (standardized regression coefficient for fasting insulin: 0.107, CI [0.053, 0.160], p < 0.001 and that for HOMA‐IR: 0.063, CI [0.006, 0.121], p = 0.031). However, the result of the analysis on coefficients adjusted for offspring's actual anthropometry (BMI and adiposity) was not significant. Independent from ppBMI, GWG tended to show a positive correlation with insulin level, but not after adjustment for offspring's anthropometry. Offspring of mothers with excessive GWG showed significantly higher HOMA‐IR than those of mothers with optimal GWG (p = 0.004). Our results demonstrate that both higher ppBMI and GWG increase the risk of offspring's insulin resistance, but the effect of ppBMI on insulin sensitivity in offspring may develop as consequence of their adiposity.

Sick Individuals and Sick (Microbial) Populations: Challenges in Epidemiology and the Microbiome

The human microbiome represents a new frontier in understanding the biology of human health. While epidemiology in this area is still in its infancy, its scope will likely expand dramatically over the coming years. To rise to the challenge, we argue that epidemiology should capitalize on its population perspective as a critical complement to molecular microbiome research, allowing for the illumination of contextual mechanisms that may vary more across populations rather than among individuals. We first briefly review current research on social context and the gut microbiome, focusing specifically on socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. Next, we reflect on the current state of microbiome epidemiology through the lens of one specific area, the association of the gut microbiome and metabolic disorders. We identify key methodological shortcomings of current epidemiological research in this area, including extensive selection bias, the use of noncompositionally robust measures, and a lack of attention to social factors as confounders or effect modifiers.

Chronic Stress in Children and Adolescents: A Review of Biomarkers for Use in Pediatric Research

PROBLEM

Incorporating biomarkers of chronic stress into pediatric research studies may help to explicate the links between exposure to adversity and lifelong health, but there are currently very few parameters to guide nurse researchers in choosing appropriate biomarkers of chronic stress for use in research with children and adolescents.

METHODS

Biomarkers of chronic stress are described, including primary mediators (glucocorticoids, catecholamines, and cytokines) and secondary outcomes (neurologic, immune, metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and anthropometric) of the chronic stress response.

RESULTS

Evidence of the use of each biomarker in pediatric research studies is reviewed. Recommendations for pediatric researchers, including selection of appropriate biomarkers, measurement considerations, potential moderators, and future directions for research, are presented.

DISCUSSION

A wide range of biomarkers is available for use in research studies with children. While primary mediators of chronic stress have been frequently measured in studies of children, measurement of secondary outcomes, particularly immune and metabolic biomarkers, has been limited. With thoughtful and theoretically based approaches to selection and measurement, these biomarkers present an important opportunity to further explore the physiologic pathways linking exposure to chronic stress with later health and disease.

CONCLUSION

The incorporation of chronic stress biomarkers into pediatric research studies may provide valuable insight into the mechanisms through which stressful environments "get under the skin" and ultimately inform efforts to promote health and reduce inequities among children exposed to adversity.

Maternal and paternal family history of diabetes in second-degree relatives and metabolic outcomes at age 5-6 years: The ABCD Study

AIM

To investigate whether children with a family history of diabetes (FHD) in second-degree relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles) are at increased risk of developing obesity and diabetes, and whether the risk differs between maternal or paternal transmission.

METHODS

In the multiethnic population-based cohort Amsterdam-Born Children and Their Development (ABCD) Study, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHR), fat percentage (fat%), fasting glucose and C-peptide in 5- or 6-year-old children with no second-degree FHD (n=2226) were compared with children with maternal-only (n=353), paternal-only (n=281) or both maternal and paternal (n=164) second-degree FHD. Children of diabetic mothers or fathers were excluded.

RESULTS

None of the children in any of our FHD categories differed in body composition after adjusting for maternal, paternal and childhood lifestyle covariates. However, children with both maternal and paternal second-degree FHD had increased C-peptide levels (0.03nmol, 95% CI: 0.01-0.05) compared with those in the other three study groups. Results were similar when analyses were restricted to only the Dutch children.

CONCLUSION

Children with FHD in second-degree relatives on both maternal and paternal sides already have higher C-peptide levels at an early age. This might be the result of a double burden of a shared obesogenic lifestyle, or of more diverse diabetogenic genes compared to children without FHD or with only FHD in one side of the family. In any case, second-degree FHD could be used as a public-health screening tool to identify children at risk of adverse metabolic outcomes and of possible future disease.

Census tract based income level and lipid levels in urban pediatric primary care: a retrospective study

Background

Lower socioeconomic status has been associated with adverse lipid levels in adult populations. Childhood dyslipidemia is a risk factor for future cardiovascular disease. However, studies examining relationships between socioeconomic indicators and lipid levels in children are limited. To examine the relationship between income level and lipid levels in childhood.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review of primary care patients, ages 2 to 18 years, who had lipid levels drawn at two large pediatric practices in Boston, MA between August 01, 2008 and August 31, 2010. Income level was determined using geocoding census tract data. Analysis was performed using t-test, Anova and Spearman correlation coefficients. BMI percentile, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and site were adjusted for on multivariate analyses.

Results

Reviewing 930 charts of patients with measured lipid levels, 730 had a valid address, no previously diagnosed lipid disorder and met other study eligibility criteria. Mean total cholesterol level did not vary by income level (low 155.5 mg/dl ±26.9, moderate 153.5 mg/dl ±30.4, middle 155.3 mg/dl ±26.6 and high income 155.5 mg/dl ±27.9; p = .87) on multivariate analysis. Income level was not related to LDL, HDL, or triglycerides.

Conclusions

In this analysis of children cared for in two urban pediatric primary practices, there was no association between income level determined by census tract and lipid levels in childhood. If confirmed in prospective investigations in other geographical locations, income level may not be a key driver of childhood lipid levels.

Socio-economic differences in cardiometabolic risk markers are mediated by diet and body fatness in 8- to 11-year-old Danish children: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether socio-economic differences exist in cardiometabolic risk markers in children and whether lifestyle-related factors potentially mediate these differences.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study including measurements of fasting blood lipids, glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), blood pressure and heart rate. Potential mediators examined were fat mass index (FMI); intakes of fruit, vegetables, dietary fibre and added sugar; whole-blood n-3 long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) as a biomarker of fish intake; and physical activity and sedentary time.

SETTING

Nine primary schools in Denmark.

SUBJECTS

Children aged 8-11 years (n 715).

RESULTS

Children of parents with the shortest compared with longest education had higher TAG by 0·12 (95 % CI 0·04, 0·21) mmol/l and HOMA-IR by 0·36 (0·10, 0·62), whereas children of parents with a vocational education had higher total cholesterol by 0·14 (0·02, 0·27) mmol/l and LDL cholesterol by 0·14 (0·03, 0·25) mmol/l compared with children of parents with the longest education; all P<0·05. FMI explained 25 % of the difference in TAG, 64 % of the difference in HOMA-IR and 21-29 % of the differences in cholesterols. FMI and whole-blood n-3 LCPUFA combined explained 42 % of the difference in TAG, whereas FMI, whole-blood n-3 LCPUFA and dietary fibre explained 89 % of the difference in HOMA-IR.

CONCLUSIONS

Socio-economic differences were present in blood lipids and insulin resistance among 8- to 11-year-olds and were mediated by body fatness, whole-blood n-3 LCPUFA and dietary fibre. These lifestyle factors may be targets in public initiatives to reduce socio-economic differences. Confirmation in longitudinal studies and trials is warranted.

The Association between Maternal 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration during Gestation and Early Childhood Cardio-metabolic Outcomes: Is There Interaction with Pre-Pregnancy BMI?

Both maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25OHD) status and pre-pregnancy BMI(pBMI) may influence offspring cardio-metabolic outcomes. Lower 25OHD concentrations have been observed in women with both low and high pBMIs, but the combined influence of pBMI and 25OHD on offspring cardio-metabolic outcomes is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the role of pBMI in the association between maternal 25OHD concentration and cardio-metabolic outcomes in 5-6 year old children. Data were obtained from the ABCD cohort study and 1882 mother-child pairs were included. The offspring outcomes investigated were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, BMI, body fat percentage(%BF), waist-to-height ratio, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, C-peptide, and insulin resistance(HOMA2-IR). 62% of the C-peptide samples were below the detection limit and were thus imputed using survival analysis. Models were corrected for maternal and offspring covariates and tested for interaction with pBMI. Interaction with pBMI was observed in the associations with insulin resistance markers: in offspring of overweight mothers(≥25.0kg/m²), a 10 nmol/L increase in maternal 25OHD was associated with a 0.007(99%CI:-0.01,-0.001) nmol/L decrease in C-peptide and a 0.02(99%CI:-0.03,-0.004) decrease in HOMA2-IR. When only non-imputed data were analyzed, there was a trend for interaction in the relationship but the results lost significance. Interaction with pBMI was not observed for the other outcomes. A 10 nmol/L increase in maternal 25OHD was significantly associated with a 0.13%(99%CI:-0.3,-0.003) decrease in %BF after correction for maternal and child covariates. Thus, intrauterine exposure to both low 25OHD and maternal overweight may be associated with increased insulin resistance in offspring, while exposure to low 25OHD in utero may be associated with increased offspring %BF with no interactive effects from pBMI. Due to the limitations of this study, these results are not conclusive, however the observations of this study pose important research questions for future studies to investigate.

The Insulin Resistance but Not the Insulin Secretion Parameters Have Changed in the Korean Population during the Last Decade

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the patterns of insulin secretion and resistance between Korean subjects in the 1990s and 2000s.

METHODS

Insulin secretion and resistance indices were calculated from subjects who underwent 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests in the year 1997 to 1999 and 2007 to 2011 at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Korea.

RESULTS

A total of 578 subjects from the 1990s (mean age, 48.5 years) and 504 subjects from the 2000s (mean age, 50.2 years) were enrolled. Compared with the subjects from the 1990s, those from the 2000s exhibited increased insulin resistance (increased homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance), and reduced insulin sensitivity (reduced Matsuda index and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index), regardless of their glucose tolerance status. However, insulinogenic index did not reveal significant differences between the 2 decades in subjects with or without diabetes. A distinct relationship was confirmed between Matsuda index and total area under the curve (insulin/glucose) in each glucose tolerance group. The mean product of the Matsuda index and the total area under the curve (insulin/glucose) as well as the oral disposition index, was lower in subjects with normal glucose tolerance from the 2000s than in those from the 1990s.

CONCLUSION

After rapid economic growth and changes in lifestyle patterns, insulin resistance has worsened across the glucose tolerance status; however, the insulin secretory function remained unchanged, which resulted in an increase in the susceptibility to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus among Korean subjects without diabetes. We could not rule out the potential selection bias and therefore, further studies in general Korean population are needed.

Comparison of energy balance-related behaviours and measures of body composition between Turkish adolescents in Turkey and Turkish immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influences of migration to a Western country on obesity and related risk factors by comparing measures of body composition and energy balance-related behaviours between Turkish adolescents in Turkey (TR-TR) and adolescents from Turkish immigrant ethnicity in the Netherlands (TR-NL).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey or baseline intervention data from six Dutch school-based studies and one Turkish study.

SETTING

Primary and secondary schools.

SUBJECTS

A total of 915 (49 % girls; mean age 13·1 (sd 0·8) years) TR-TR adolescents and 433 (51 % girls; mean age 11·7 (sd 1·3) years) TR-NL adolescents were included. Outcome measures were self-reported sugar-containing beverage consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, screen time, physical activity, measured body height and weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, and skinfold thicknesses.

RESULTS

Our data showed that more TR-NL adolescents were overweight (31 % v. 26 %) and obese (9 % v. 6 %) and had significantly higher mean BMI (21·1 v. 20·0 kg/m2), waist circumference (72·2 v. 71·3 cm) and suprailiac skinfold thickness (19·8 v. 13·1 mm) than TR-TR adolescents. TR-NL adolescents reported significantly higher sugar-containing beverage consumption (1173 v. 115 ml/d), less fruit and vegetable intake (295 v. 647 g/d), less screen time (253 v. 467 min/d) and higher physical activity levels (61 v. 27 min/d) than TR-TR adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands were more often overweight and had a less favourable dietary pattern than their peers in Turkey, while their physical activity and screen time patterns were more favourable. These results suggest that adolescents from Turkish immigrant ethnicity in the Netherlands have adopted lifestyles towards the host culture.

No associations of prenatal maternal psychosocial stress with fasting glucose metabolism in offspring at 5-6 years of age

Highly prevalent maternal psychosocial complaints are accompanied by increases in glucocorticoid stress hormones, which may predispose the offspring for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in adulthood. The aim of the current research is to study whether prenatal maternal psychosocial stress is associated with parameters of blood glucose metabolism in their children aged 5-6 years. The study design was a prospective birth cohort (the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, the Netherlands). Depressive symptoms, pregnancy-related anxiety, parenting daily hassles and job strain were recorded by questionnaire (gestational week 16). A cumulative score was also calculated. Possible sex differences in the associations were considered. The subjects were 1952 mother-child pairs. Outcome measures were fasting glucose (n=1952), C-peptide and insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) (n=1478) in the children at the age of 5-6 years. The stress scales, single and cumulative, were not associated with glucose/C-peptide/insulin resistance (all P>0.05). We did not find evidence for sex differences. In conclusion, we did not find evidence for an association between psychosocial stress during early pregnancy and parameters of glucose metabolism in offspring at the age of 5-6 years. Differences emerging later in life or in response to a metabolic challenge should not be ruled out.

Socioeconomic and other social stressors and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in youth: a systematic review of less studied risk factors

Background

Socioeconomic disadvantage and other social stressors in childhood have been linked with cardiometabolic diseases in adulthood; however the mechanisms underlying these observed associations and the timing of their emergence are unclear. The aim of this review was to evaluate research that examined relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage and other social stressors in relation to less-studied cardiometabolic risk factors among youth, including carbohydrate metabolism-related factors, lipids, and central adiposity.

Methods

We searched PubMed and ISI Web of Science to identify relevant publications between 2001 and 2013.Studies were selected based on 4 criteria: (1) the study examined an association between at least one social or economic stressor and one relevant outcome prior to age 21; (2) the sample originated from a high-income country; (3) the sample was not selected based on a health condition; and (4) a central aim was to evaluate the effect of the social or economic stressor on at least one relevant outcome. Abstracts were screened and relevant publications were obtained and evaluated for inclusion criteria. We abstracted data from selected articles, summarized them by exposures and outcomes, and assigned an evidence grade.

Results

Our search identified 37 publications from 31 studies. Socioeconomic disadvantage was consistently associated with greater central adiposity. Research to date does not provide clear evidence of an association between childhood stressors and lipids or carbohydrate metabolism-related factors.

Conclusions

This review demonstrates a paucity of research on the relationship of socioeconomic disadvantage and other social stressors to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism-related factors in youth. Accordingly, it is not possible to form strong conclusions, particularly with regard to stressors other than socioeconomic disadvantage. Findings are used to inform priorities for future research. An improved understanding of these pathways is critical for identifying novel prevention targets and intervention opportunities to protect the long-term health of children and adolescents.