Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, 2014, 02, 251─257

Associations between Estimated Desaturase Activity and Insulin Resistance in Korean Boys

Y Choi, H Jang, Ju Yeon Park, Hye-Ja Lee, Jae-Heon Kang, Kyung-Hee Park, Jong Ho Lee, Sang Ick Park, Jihyun Song

Abstract

Objectives
Obesity in childhood increases the risk of obesity in adulthood, and is predictive of the development of metabolic disorders. The fatty acid composi- tions of various tissues, including blood, are associated with obesity and obesity- associated disorders. Thus, tracking plasma phospholipid (PL) features and metabolic parameters in young individuals may strengthen the utility of fatty acid composition as an early biomarker of future metabolic disorders. Methods: Anthropometric and blood biochemical data were obtained from 131 Korean males aged 10.5 0.4 years, and followed up at 2 years. We analyzed the plasma PL fatty acids according to obesity. Obese children were de？ned as those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85th percentile for age and gender, based on Korean child growth standards.
Results
Activities of lipid desaturases, stearyl-CoAD (SCD-16,16:1n-7/16:0), delta-6D (D6D, 20:3n-6/18:2n-6), and delta-5D (D5D, 20:4n-6/20:3n-6), were estimated. Obese individuals had signi？cantly higher proportions of palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) and dihomo-gamma linolenic acid (DGLA, 20:3n-6) at both baseline and follow-up than did lean individuals. The activities of SCD-16 and D6D were higher in obese than lean boys. The baseline SCD-16 activity level was positively associated with the baseline waist circumference (WC) and the metabolic risk score. The baseline D6D level was positively associated with WC and also with the homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a surrogate marker of insulin resistance (IR), and metabolic risk score at both baseline and follow-up.
Conclusion
In young Korean males, higher D6D activity predicts the future development of IR and associated metabolic disorders including dyslipidemia.

• ISBN or ISSN: 2210-9099

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제(과제번호 2012-NG64001-00) 연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund(code 2012-NG64001-00) by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.