Pediatric Endocrinology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Girona, Spain.
Pediatrics, Dr. JosepTrueta Hospital, Girona, Spain.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Jul 14;14:1218949. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1218949. eCollection 2023.
Klotho is an anti-aging protein that reduces adiposity and increases caloric expenditure, among others. Although associations between secreted α-Klotho levels and obesity have been described, its relationship with central obesity and visceral fat accumulation during childhood is poorly understood. Our objective was to study the longitudinal associations between serum α-Klotho concentrations and obesity-related parameters in apparently healthy children.
We studied a cohort of 208 apparently healthy school-age children (107 girls and 101 boys) assessed at baseline (mean age 8.5 ± 1.8 years) and at follow-up 4 years later. Serum α-Klotho concentrations were measured at baseline in all subjects. Obesity-related parameters, such as BMI, waist circumference, body fat, visceral fat, triglyceride levels, HOMA-IR index, and C-reactive protein were studied. Boys and girls were classified into 3 groups according to weight change between baseline and follow-up visits: weight loss, stable weight, or weight gain (based on a BMI-SDS change cut-off > 0.35 SD).
In girls (N=107), but not in boys, we observed negative associations of serum α-Klotho protein with BMI, waist circumference, body fat, visceral fat, HOMA IR index, and C-reactive protein at baseline and also at follow-up. The associations of α-Klotho and obesity-related parameters were more evident in girls who exhibited weight gain. In such girls, multivariate regression analyses (adjusting for age, puberty and baseline weight/height ratio) showed that α-Klotho protein was negatively associated with follow-up BMI, waist circumference, and visceral fat (p = 0.003 to 0.028). For each 1 SD-increase in baseline α-Klotho, follow-up waist circumference decreased by 4.15 cm and visceral fat by 1.38 mm.
In school-age girls, serum α-Klotho concentrations are longitudinally related to a more favorable metabolic profile. In girls experiencing weight gain, α-Klotho may prove to be a protective factor against the accumulation of visceral fat.
Klotho 是一种抗衰老蛋白，它可以减少肥胖和增加热量消耗等。虽然已经描述了分泌型α-Klotho 水平与肥胖之间的关联，但它与儿童期中心性肥胖和内脏脂肪积累的关系尚不清楚。我们的目的是研究血清α-Klotho 浓度与 208 名看似健康的学龄儿童（107 名女孩和 101 名男孩）肥胖相关参数之间的纵向关联。这些儿童在基线（平均年龄 8.5 ± 1.8 岁）和 4 年后的随访时接受评估。所有受试者在基线时测量血清α-Klotho 浓度。研究了肥胖相关参数，如 BMI、腰围、体脂、内脏脂肪、甘油三酯水平、HOMA-IR 指数和 C-反应蛋白。根据基线和随访期间体重变化，男孩和女孩被分为 3 组：体重减轻、体重稳定或体重增加（基于 BMI-SDS 变化的截断值>0.35 SD）。
在女孩（n=107）中，但在男孩中没有，我们观察到血清α-Klotho 蛋白与 BMI、腰围、体脂、内脏脂肪、HOMA IR 指数和 C-反应蛋白在基线和随访时呈负相关。在体重增加的女孩中，α-Klotho 与肥胖相关参数的关联更为明显。在这些女孩中，多元回归分析（调整年龄、青春期和基线体重/身高比）显示，α-Klotho 蛋白与随访时的 BMI、腰围和内脏脂肪呈负相关（p=0.003 至 0.028）。基线α-Klotho 每增加 1 个标准差，随访时腰围减少 4.15cm，内脏脂肪减少 1.38mm。
在学龄女孩中，血清α-Klotho 浓度与更有利的代谢特征呈纵向相关。在体重增加的女孩中，α-Klotho 可能是预防内脏脂肪堆积的保护因素。
