1. Introduction
Obesity is a substantial cause of morbidity among children. Diseases such as hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, depression, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes mellitus are all associated with pediatric obesity. It has been noted that obese children have a higher incidence of low serum iron than nonobese children [
1‐
3]. Furthermore, data-based reviews have shown obese children to have additional measures of iron status such as ferritin, transferrin saturation, and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin that are consistent with iron deficiency at a high frequency [
4,
5]. Obesity contributes to an inflammatory state, with elevated markers of inflammation such as high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-crp) [
6‐
9]. Obese children have higher values of hs-crp than nonobese children, indicating that even very early obesity is associated with inflammation [
10]. Chronic inflammation can lead to abnormal iron homeostasis by decreasing intestinal absorption of iron and promoting its sequestration into storage pools, such as macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system, thereby lowering circulating iron [
11]. There thus exists a potential association between the inflammation of obesity and the low iron state of obesity. Such an association has been demonstrated in obese adults, but not children [
12].
We sought to determine prospectively if the low iron state described with obesity is associated with the inflammation seen in obese children and to assess associations of inflammatory markers with other markers of iron status and Body Mass Index (BMI) in these children.
4. Discussion
This prospective study establishes the association between the inflammatory state, as identified by hs-crp, and the low iron state described in pediatric obesity. It also shows that the inflammation of obesity disturbs basic iron homeostasis as early as childhood and adolescence. Identification of the probable cause of the iron deficiency reported in obese children is especially important because this age group is particularly susceptible to the negative effects of iron deficiency, as discussed later.
Previous reports have proposed different mechanisms to explain the high rate of iron deficiency among obese children, including consumption of high calorie, iron-poor diets, sedentary lifestyle resulting in decreased myoglobin breakdown, and increased iron requirements for increased red cell mass. Our data support that it is the inflammation of obesity that negatively influences iron homeostasis. A similar association has been described in adults [
12]. Anty et al. reported on obese adult women undergoing bariatric surgery who, when their BMI decreased postoperatively, showed a decrease in levels of crp with an associated improvement in markers of iron status, further suggesting that it is obesity that leads to inflammation which in turn contributes to abnormal measures of iron homeostasis [
15].
It is known that obesity is associated with chronic low levels of inflammation [
16]. Adipose tissue secretes a variety of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 [
16,
17]. The positive association of hs-crp with ferritin and negative associations with serum iron, transferrin saturation and hemoglobin, as shown in this study, are characteristic of inflammation's effects on measurements of iron homeostasis. A potential mechanism explaining the impact of obesity on iron status may involve the increased production of the protein hepcidin. Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron homeostasis, decreasing intestinal iron absorption and promoting iron sequestration in macrophages, effectively lowering serum iron and the bioavailability of iron. Hepcidin is produced primarily in the liver but is expressed in adipose tissue as well [
18]. Its expression is increased by interleukin-6, which is higher in obese than nonobese children. In addition, there are data to suggest that hepcidin expression is increased by the adipose-derived hormone leptin [
19].
In an attempt to isolate obesity's influence on iron status, subjects at risk for iron deficiency were excluded. Because of this, iron deficiency, as defined by NHANES criteria, in this screened population, was not as prevalent as in reviews of unscreened obese children [
4]. When our rate of iron deficiency (1.9%) is added to the rate reported for nonobese children (2.1%), one gets a rate of iron deficiency closer to the 5.5% described for obese children [
4]. Thus, the reported increase in iron deficiency among obese children may be attributable to the inflammation of obesity and its effects on measures of iron status.
Potential complications of iron deficiency during childhood and adolescence include poorer cognition, worse school achievement, and more behavior problems than in children without iron deficiency [
20‐
22]. Cournot et al. in a prospective study found an association between higher BMI and lower cognitive scores in middle aged men and women, but iron status was not assessed [
23]. We are unaware of such descriptions in children but future research could investigate associations between BMI, iron status, and cognitive function.
In addition to its impact on iron homeostasis, inflammation is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease in adults. This study confirms elevated levels of hs-crp in obese children as well as the positive association between hs-crp and BMI/BMI
-score [
24,
25]. That is, the more obese a child is, the more systemic inflammation they are exposed to. The majority of the children in this study were significantly obese, with a mean BMI
-score of 2.5 and had levels of hs-crp at intermediate or high risk for cardiovascular disease according to adult studies [
26]. The full effects of years of such inflammation on children's cardiovascular health have yet to be determined. Baker et al. showed that an elevated BMI in childhood was associated with significantly increased risk of both fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease later in life [
27].
A potential limit of this study is that although at the time of enrollment subjects were screened for risks of inflammation, some subjects had blood drawn days or weeks later and could have been ill at the time of phlebotomy thus raising hs-crp levels above baseline. While possibly impacting lab variables such as hs-crp, ferritin, or iron, such a situation would not account for the positive association of hs-crp and BMI/BMI
-score. Although we demonstrated correlations between BMI/BMI
-score and hs-crp as well as between hs-crp and measurements of iron status, without nonobese subjects, it is difficult to assess the degree of effect weight status has on hs-crp and iron status.
These data raise several questions for future childhood obesity research. It has been demonstrated that weight loss is associated with reduction in crp [
15,
28]. Does weight loss improve iron status in children as it has been suggested to do in some adults [
15]? Is oral iron supplementation sufficient to correct low serum iron? Do anti-inflammatory medicines alter iron status in obese children? Does the low iron state of obesity contribute to poor neurocognitive function? Does the inflammation of obesity alter metabolism of other essential trace elements, such as zinc, copper, and selenium? Future research may address some of these questions.
This study provides the probable link between two long-known important aspects of pediatric obesity—chronic inflammation and abnormal, low iron status. It illustrates the pervasive nature that obesity has on children and their health, affecting even essential mineral metabolism, and shows that such effects start early in the disease, during childhood. Such data could ultimately be used to support evidence-driven public health policy and prevention of the disease.