A Mini-Review of Pediatric Anthropometrics as Predictors of Future Insulin Resistance

A recent article discussed that the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity impose far-reaching impacts. The deleterious effects of excess adiposity during childhood are likely to manifest during adulthood.

Excessive body fat accumulation heightens the risk for insulin resistance. While certain patterns of fat deposition predilect to metabolic diseases. Thus, adiposity measures play a crucial role.

Initially, body mass index (BMI), was used to ascertain the association between childhood obesity and future insulin resistance. However, BMI fails to precisely measure adiposity.

Although measures like waist to height ratio are deemed superior screening measures for adults, their utility pediatrics may be limited. Recent data indicate that alternative anthropometrics may be superior to BMI in identifying children who are at a higher risk of developing insulin resistance. 

Further studies including different cohorts are warranted to identify which pediatric anthropometric (including waist circumference and hip circumference) would best predictadult insulin resistance.

Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2022; 13: 826430. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.826430