Sex differences in pathophysiological conditions and responses to exercise and diet therapies in obese children

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K01844
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Mie University
• Principal Investigator: TOGASHI Kenji 三重大学, 教養教育院, 教授 (10227564)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満小児 / 生活習慣病 / 性差 / 内臓脂肪 / インスリン抵抗性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sex differences in pathological conditions and responses to inpatient treatments, mainly exercise and diet therapies, were examined in obese children. Obese male children showed higher visceral fat accumulation and more frequent abnormal transaminase and uric acid levels than females. The female children showed slightly higher insulin resistance than the males. As a result of weight loss due to the inpatient treatments, the reduction rate of visceral fat in the male children was twice as high as that in the females, demonstrating resistance to body fat loss in the females. The improved insulin resistance suggests that the birth weights (fetal conditions) of the female children and the visceral fat accumulation of the male children are involved in insulin resistance.

Free Research Field

運動生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

肥満小児に対するきめ細やかで早期の対応に資するため、肥満小児における病態の性差、肥満改善に伴う各種検査項目の変化率の性差について検討した。肥満男児では肥満化にともない腹部脂肪や肝臓内脂肪など異所性脂肪の増加が認められ、それらが肝機能、腎機能、インスリン抵抗性と深く関わっていた。肥満女児では男児と同程度の肥満であってもインスリンの過分泌が認められ肥満が高度になることによる2型糖尿病への移行が危惧された。肥満男児では肥満改善プログラムにともなう内臓脂肪の減少により各種病態は改善したが、肥満女児では出生体重など脂肪以外の別の要因が病態に関わっている可能性が示唆された。