Influence of weight gain on the lipid profile of adolescents

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of weight gain on the lipid profile of 135 adolescents between 10-14 years at baseline and 15-19 years at follow-up, en-rolled in public schools in Recife, Brazil. The results showed that a BMI z-score correlated with triglycerides (TG) and with high density trigliceride lipopoteine ratio (TG/HDL-c) in males. In females, high z-score correlated with total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein (LDL-c). In males, for each unit increase in z-score, TG increased by 14.7 mg/dL and the TG/HDL-c ratio increased by 0.4. Among females, TC increased by 9.4 mg/dL, LDL-c increased by 11.6 mg/dL, non-HDL cholesterol increased by 11.8 mg/ dL, and HDL-c decreased by 2.3 mg/dL. In males, excessive weight gain was associated with an increase in TG and TG/ HDL-c; in females, it was associated with a higher increase in TG/HDL-c and non-HDL cholesterol. However, z-score variation can be a good predictor of lipid profile changes, even in those that are within the normal range.