Kemp Keri M, Orihuela Catheryn A, Granger Douglas A, Evans Retta R, Mrug Sylvie
Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department of Medicine Heersink School of Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA.
Department of Family and Community Medicine Heersink School of Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA.
Obes Sci Pract. 2025 Jun 21;11(3):e70081. doi: 10.1002/osp4.70081. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Childhood and adolescent obesity, which affects nearly 1 in 5 youth in the US, presents a pressing public health concern. Obesity is linked to chronic low-grade inflammation, which exacerbates comorbidities. Noninvasive tools are needed to monitor obesity-related inflammation and assess weight-management interventions in children and adolescents.
This study investigated the associations between Body Mass Index z-score (BMIz) and salivary biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α.
A sample of 280 adolescents (Mage = 12.1 years, SD = 0.44) was followed for 2 years (3 time points) from 2019 to 2021. An autoregressive cross-lagged path model was used to examine the prospective relationships between BMIz and salivary biomarkers.
Findings indicated a bidirectional relationship between BMIz and salivary CRP levels, suggesting a feed-forward cycle in which excessive weight gain and inflammation mutually amplify each other. Salivary cytokines were not associated with BMIz.
This study underscores the utility of salivary CRP as a noninvasive biomarker for obesity-related inflammation. Monitoring salivary CRP levels could aid in targeting interventions to prevent obesity-related complications early in life.
儿童和青少年肥胖影响了近五分之一的美国年轻人，是一个紧迫的公共卫生问题。肥胖与慢性低度炎症相关，这会加剧合并症。需要非侵入性工具来监测与肥胖相关的炎症，并评估儿童和青少年的体重管理干预措施。
本研究调查了体重指数z评分（BMIz）与唾液生物标志物之间的关联：C反应蛋白（CRP）、细胞因子白细胞介素（IL）-1β、IL-6、IL-8和肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）-α。
从2019年到2021年，对280名青少年（平均年龄=12.1岁，标准差=0.44）进行了为期2年（3个时间点）的跟踪研究。采用自回归交叉滞后路径模型来检验BMIz与唾液生物标志物之间的前瞻性关系。
研究结果表明BMIz与唾液CRP水平之间存在双向关系，这表明存在一个前馈循环，即体重过度增加和炎症相互加剧。唾液细胞因子与BMIz无关。
本研究强调了唾液CRP作为肥胖相关炎症的非侵入性生物标志物的实用性。监测唾液CRP水平有助于在生命早期针对预防肥胖相关并发症进行干预。
