Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Pages: 1020-1030

Journal: Endocrine Connections

Volume number: 7

Issue number: 10

ISSN: 2049-3614

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1530/EC-18-0233

Publisher: BioScientifica

Abstract: 

Objective: Little information is available on the steroid sulfates profile in obese children. Therefore, we examined whether sulfated steroids are linked with weight status and associated comorbidities in obese children.

Methods: We analyzed 66 obese children (mean age 10.5 +/- 2.5 years, 57.6% female, 53.9% prepubertal, mean BMI 27.0 +/- 4.6 kg/m(2), 50% with BMI-SDS reduction >0.5, 50% without BMI-SDS reduction) who participated in an outpatient 1-year intervention program based on exercise, behavior and nutrition therapy. We measured intact sulfated steroids (cholesterol sulfate (CS), pregnenolone sulfate (PregS), 17 alpha OH pregnenolone sulfate (17OH-PregS), 16 alpha OH dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (16OH-DHEAS), DHEAS, androstenedioI-3-sulfate, androsterone sulfate and epiandrosterone sulfate) by LC-MS/MS, and insulin resistance index HOMA, lipids, blood pressure at baseline and 1 year later.

Results: All sulfated steroids except 17OH-PregS, 16OH-DHEAS, androsterone sulfate and epiandrosterone sulfate were higher in boys compared to girls. Concentrations of CS before intervention were higher in children who lost weight. After 1 year of treatment, both groups showed increased levels of DHEAS, 16OH-DHEAS and androstenediol-3-sulfate, but PregS was only increased in children with weight loss. None of the steroid sulfates was significantly related to cardiovascular risk factors or HOMA except 17OH-PregS, which was associated with systolic blood pressure both in cross-sectional (beta-coefficient: 0.09 +/- 0.07, P=0.020) and longitudinal analyses (beta-coefficient: 0.06 +/- 0.04, P= 0.013) in multiple linear regression analyses.

Conclusions: Since higher steroid sulfation capacity was associated with successful weight intervention in children disruption of sulfation may be associated with difficulties to lose weight. Future studies are necessary to prove this hypothesis.

Harvard Citation style: Reinehr, T., Sanchez-Guijo, A., Lass, N. and Wudy, S. (2018) Higher steroid sulfation is linked to successful weight loss in obese children, Endocrine Connections, 7(10), pp. 1020-1030. https://doi.org/10.1530/EC-18-0233

APA Citation style: Reinehr, T., Sanchez-Guijo, A., Lass, N., & Wudy, S. (2018). Higher steroid sulfation is linked to successful weight loss in obese children. Endocrine Connections. 7(10), 1020-1030. https://doi.org/10.1530/EC-18-0233