Adiposity Influences Blood Tests

A Canadian cohort study revealed that overweight and obese significantly influences blood levels of common laboratory markers, most notably liver enzymes, lipids/lipoproteins, inflammatory markers and uric acid, in children and adolescents. The study included 1,332 healthy subjects ages 5.1-19.0 years with body mass index (BMI) ranging from 13.4-65.0 kg/m². Levels of alanine aminotransferase, apolipoprotein B, complement factors C3 and C4, cholinesterase, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, gamma-glutamyl transferase, haptoglobin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, transferrin, triglycerides, and uric acid, were significantly elevated according to BMI, especially uric acid. Iron was decreased with BMI. BMI, waist circumference, and/or waist-to-height ratio significantly associated with serum concentration of 24 of the 35 markers examined, after adjusting for age and sex. Whether altered biochemical marker levels in subjects with overweight/obesity reflect health or indolent disease, people should be aware of the effect of weight status on those tests. Source: https://academic.oup.com/