The Association of Serum Osteopontin Levels with Insulin Resistance in Obese, Dyslipidemic Children

Objectives To assess serum osteopontin (OPN) concentrations and to evaluate the correlation between OPN levels and insulin resistance (IR) in obese dyslipidemic children. Methods The study featured 107 obese children with ages ranging between 3 - 17 years. Anthropometrical measurements and biochemical analyses were performed and serum OPN samples were obtained. IR was defined using the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) protocol. Results Of the 107 obese children that were recruited for the study, 63 were girls (58.9%) and 44 were boys (58.9%), with a mean age of 11.18 ± 3.41 years. Of them, 21 (19.6%) were diagnosed with dyslipidemia. No significant differences in age and gender were identified between the dyslipidemic and non-dyslipidemic groups. The mean body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, insulin, and alanine transaminase levels were similar in both groups (P = 0.74). The average total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and triglyceride (TG) levels were higher, while the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol levels were lower in the dyslipidemic group. Amongst the children with dyslipidemia, 28 (84.84%) had IR. The mean OPN levels in the dyslipidemic group were not found to be higher than the non-dyslipidemic group (46.94 ± 25.64 vs 48.92 ± 24.45; P = 0.70). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that increased HOMA-IR levels (P = 0.01) are an important risk factor for dyslipidemia. Conclusions While serum OPN levels were found to be related to IR in obese children, OPN levels were not associated with dyslipidemia.