Comparison of Components of Metabolic Syndrome among Metabolically Obese Normal Weight, Metabolically Benign Normal Weight, and Metabolically Abnormal Obese Iranian Children and Adolescents in Ahvaz

Background: Metabolically obese normal-weight (MONW) children and adolescents are characterized by body mass index (BMI) lower than +1SD with metabolic disorders such as hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and/or hypertension. This study wants to determineprevalence of MONW, metabolically benign normal weight (MBNW), metabolically abnormality obese (MAO) and comparethe components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in some Iranian normal-weight children and adolescents in Ahvaz, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1124 boys and 1128 girls, aged 10–18 y, Ahvaz, Khuzestan.Participants were selected from 6 health centers in Ahvaz by a multistage cluster random sampling method. The Mets was defined according to the modified Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III). Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were measured according to standard protocols. Fasting blood samples were collected for biochemical assessment. Results: MetS prevalence in normal weight group was 5.4% and 1.45% in boys and girls, respectively (P = 0.001) showing a significant difference. Triglyceride abnormality percentages (MBNW = 23.9%, MAO = 88.8%, MONW = 91%) and high density lipoprotein (MBNW = 19.2%, MAO = 73.8% and MONW = 67.2%) were higher than other MetS components in these groups. Conclusions: Since BMI in children and adolescents with metabolically obese-normal weight is normal‚ the continuous measurements and treatment of MetS components especially in boys are important from public health view. The components mean of MetS was higher in MONW and MAO individuals compared with MBNW.