Elevated Inflammatory Markers in Childhood Warn of Future Heart Disease

While previous studies have established an association between blood levels of inflammatory markers and obesity in adults, the relationship is less clear in children. Asheley Cockrell Skinner, from University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill (USA), and colleagues examined relationships between multiple markers of inflammation and children's weight status. Conducting a cross-sectional analysis of children in the US, ages 1 to 17 years, enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999–2006, the team categorized the children as to overweight/obesity/normal weight, and assessed inflammatory markers including high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (CRP), absolute neutrophil count, and ferritin/transferrin saturation.  The team found that obese children as young as 3 years old have elevated levels of all three inflammatory markers studied.  Writing that: “Multiple inflammatory markers are strongly and positively associated with increasing weight status in children, and this relationship starts as young as age 3,” the researchers urge that: “Elevated inflammatory markers in very young obese children are particularly concerning, because inflammation may cause long-term, cumulative vascular damage.”