Associations of physical activity and fitness with adipocytokines in adolescents: The AFINOS study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2010.07.010Get rights and content

Abstract

Background and aims

Adipocytokines may have a key role in the development of atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to examine the independent and joint associations of physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) with adiponectin and leptin in adolescents.

Methods and results

A sample of 198 adolescents (96 girls), aged 13–17-year, was selected. Participants completed anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) and percentage of body fat (%BF) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance. PA was measured by accelerometer for 7-day. The 20-m shuttle-run test was used to assess CRF and two MF tests (handgrip strength and standing broad jump) were used to create an MF score. A cluster score of health status (0–3 risks) was created. Serum adiponectin and plasma leptin were also determined. Regression analyses controlling for age, sex, pubertal status and waist circumference showed that PA was not significantly associated with adiponectin and vigorous PA showed a significant inverse association with leptin. Both CRF and MF were significantly and inversely associated with adiponectin and leptin. Further analyses revealed that the ‘healthy’ group (0 risks) had significantly lower adiponectin and leptin than ‘medium-healthy’ (1 risk) and ‘unhealthy’ (2–3 risks) status groups.

Conclusions

PA, CRF and MF are inversely and jointly associated with adiponectin and leptin concentrations in adolescents.

Introduction

Several novel cardiovascular disease (CVD) markers have emerged in the last years [1]. Since obesity is considered an independent CVD risk factor, research studies have addressed the pathophysiological link between adipose tissue and CVD and metabolic abnormalities [2]. The trigger for this research was the identification of the adipose tissue as an endocrine organ [3]. It is now known that adipocytes secrete a diverse group of proteins called adipocytokines, which have shown to take part in different biological functions including immunity, insulin sensitivity, appetite, angiogenesis, lipid metabolism, vascular function, and inflammation [3].

One relevant adipocytokine, known as adiponectin, has shown to predict the development of atherosclerosis and metabolic risk in adults [4], [5]. In youth, hypoadiponectinemia has been associated with CVD risk factors and insulin resistance [6], [7]. Another key adipocytokine is leptin, which in contrast to adiponectin, is positively associated with damage to the arterial walls, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome risk factors in both youth and adults [5], [8], [9], [10]. Thus, adiponectin and leptin seem to play a key role in CVD and type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) are key constructs in exercise science and have been shown to be negatively associated with death from all causes, including CVD mortality [11], [12]. In addition, PA, CRF and MF have been also associated with traditional CVD risk factors in childhood and adolescence [13], [14]. However, the literature is scarce regarding the potential role of PA and fitness on new CVD biomarkers such as adiponectin and leptin in youth. This research is important since CVD risk factors often track from childhood to adulthood [15], thus making adolescence a crucial age group for a better knowledge of the associations between lifestyle behaviors, health-related fitness, and CVD risk factors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the independent and joint associations of objectively measured PA, CRF and MF with adiponectin and leptin in adolescents.

Section snippets

Participants

Participants for the current study were enrolled in the AFINOS (La Actividad Física como Agente Preventivo del Desarrollo de Sobrepeso, Obesidad, Alergias, Infecciones y Factores de Riesgo Cardiovascular en Adolescentes: Physical Activity as a Preventive Agent of the Development of Overweight, Obesity, Infections, Allergies and Factors of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents) study [16]. The AFINOS study is a cross-sectional study where health status and lifestyle indicators were assessed by

Results

Characteristics of the sample are shown in Table 1. Relationships between body fat, insulin resistance and adipocytokines after adjustments for age, sex and pubertal status are shown in Table 2. Waist circumference showed the highest correlations between body fat measurements and adipocytokines (r = −0.256 and 0.615, P < 0.001, for adiponectin and leptin, respectively). Insulin resistance markers were only significantly related to leptin, and not to adiponectin. On the other hand, vigorous PA (r

Discussion

The results of this study indicate that high levels of PA (vigorous), CRF and MF were independently and jointly associated with lower concentrations of leptin in adolescents. Paradoxically, CRF and MF were independently and inversely associated with adiponectin, whereas PA, CRF and MF were also jointly and inversely associated with adiponectin levels.

Despite that CRF and MF levels were associated with adiponectin in our adolescent sample, the inverse association found may seem contradictory and

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the adolescent participants and their families. This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (DEP2006-56184-C03-02/PREV) and E.U. funding (FEDER). DMG had a scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (AP2006-02464). None of the authors had any conflicts of interest.

References (39)

  • M. Yoshinaga et al.

    Adipokines and the prediction of the accumulation of cardiovascular risk factors or the presence of metabolic syndrome in elementary school children

    Circ J

    (2008)
  • Z. Punthakee et al.

    Adiponectin, adiposity, and insulin resistance in children and adolescents

    J Clin Endocrinol Metab

    (2006)
  • A. Singhal et al.

    Influence of leptin on arterial distensibility: a novel link between obesity and cardiovascular disease?

    Circulation

    (2002)
  • M.E. Atabek et al.

    Relation of serum leptin and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels to intima-media thickness and functions of common carotid artery in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

    Acta Paediatr

    (2004)
  • A. Morales et al.

    Adiponectin and leptin concentrations may aid in discriminating disease forms in children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes

    Diabetes Care

    (2004)
  • J.R. Ruiz et al.

    Association between muscular strength and mortality in men: prospective cohort study

    BMJ

    (2008)
  • U. Ekelund et al.

    European Youth Heart Study Group. Independent associations of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness with metabolic risk factors in children: the European youth heart study

    Diabetologia

    (2007)
  • S.M. Camhi et al.

    Tracking of cardiometabolic risk factor clustering from childhood to adulthood

    Int J Pediatr Obes

    (2010)
  • O.L. Veiga et al.

    Phsical activity as a preventive measure against overweight, obesity, infections, allergies and cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents: AFINOS Study protocol

    BMC Public Health

    (2009)
  • Cited by (0)

    1

    Study coordinator: Marcos A.

    Sub-study coordinators: Calle ME, Villagra A, Marcos A.

    Sub-study 1: Calle ME, Regidor E, Martínez-Hernández D, Esteban-Gonzalo L. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid Spain.

    Sub-study 2: Villagra A, Veiga OL, del-Campo J, Moya JM, Martínez-Gómez D, Zapatera B. Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.

    Sub-study 3: Marcos A, Gómez-Martínez S, Nova E, Wärnberg J, Romeo J, Diaz LE, Pozo T, Puertollano MA, Martínez-Gómez D, Zapatera B, Veses A. Immunonutrition Research Group, Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN), Instituto del Frio, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), E-28040 Madrid, Spain.

    View full text