Is there any relationship between insulin resistance and vitamin B12 deficiency in obese children?

Abstract

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Introduction: The increase in the incidence of obesity leads to an increase in the frequency of obesity-related complications such as insulin resistance (IR), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. This study aimed to examine the relationship between B12 levels and IR in obese patients. Methods: A total of 110 children aged 10-16 years who presented to pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic for obesity were enrolled. The homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) made the diagnosis of IR. The patients who had previously received B12 and metformin treatment were excluded from the study. The vitamin B12 levels between patients with and without IR were compared. The correlation between B12 levels and IR was evaluated. Results: When patients with IR were compared with those without IR, a statistically significant difference was observed in serum B12 levels (p=0.019). A strong negative correlation was observed between vitamin B12 levels and IR (r=−0.259, p=0.008). Discussion and Conclusion: We found that vitamin B12 levels were significantly lower in obese children with IR. Metformin used for IR is known to have lowered the absorption of vitamin B12. In addition to screening of IR and other co-morbidities in obesity, the lack of vitamin B12 should also be investigated. If deficient, vitamin B12 should be replaced before starting metformin treatment. Further studies are needed to examine the effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on the pathogenesis of IR.