How Childhood Obesity is Stealing Years from Our Kids

UNAM researchers found that obese and/or overweight children also present processes related to premature aging, such as the shortening of telomeres (regions found at the ends of chromosomes).

“Telomeres are important for maintaining the stability of our entire genome, but as we age, this protective zone decreases. Shortening is associated with a process called senescence, during which cells stop proliferating and the ability to regenerate tissue decreases; it is the prelude to the beginning of aging,” explained Leonor Pérez Martínez, a researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology.

She and her team participated in a study with 134 children from Morelos, aged eight to 10, from whom saliva samples were taken to measure the length of their telomeres.

Clinical doctors and psychologists also collaborated; morphometric tests were performed on the children in order to evaluate their metabolic state.

In children, obesity was detected due to metabolic disorder, which consists of an inflammatory process of the organism, in which the immune system is activated in an exacerbated manner and for prolonged periods of time, which compromises the functioning of numerous types of cells, organs and the entire organism.

“There is evidence that this inflammation also contributes to the shortening of telomeres, which is associated with older adults and the appearance of degenerative diseases. Our findings may suggest early cellular aging in overweight and obese children,” added the doctor in Cellular Biology.

This disorder occurs due to energy imbalances caused by high consumption of fats, sugars and low or no physical activity. Among other parameters, it is characterized by the development of insulin resistance, a result of the inflammation associated with obesity.

This means that blood glucose levels cannot be reduced, which compromises the functioning of several organs: liver, pancreas, intestine, and brain; in the latter, higher-order functions such as memory and learning are affected, she added.

The university specialist stressed that these findings in the child population call for putting health systems on alert because they can be considerably impacted by the probability that they show hypertension, obesity, overweight, and even insulin resistance at early ages, and could present chronic-degenerative diseases.

Obesity and overweight are the main causes of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hepatic steatosis, and some types of cancer.

"These diseases, including dementia, were associated with elderly people, as a sign that their protective systems are no longer fully functional," she stressed.

The good news from the study carried out is that girls and boys with a certain level of obesity, but who performed some physical activity, did not show significant shortening of telomeres.

These are valuable evidence that the authorities should implement exercise within schools or make it mandatory, and remind parents of its importance. “Statistics indicate that we are the country with the highest rate of childhood obesity, and it is worrying. How will the health of our young people be?” she said.

The expert said that it is recommended they exercise for one hour a day and that when doing so, they interact with their peers, stimulate their brain, and produce substances that make them feel happy and/or help them reduce stress.

Starting in the second half of this year, the scientist will expand her research at the National Institute of Pediatrics, which serves children from the country. It will be a collaboration with Lorena Orozco, a researcher in Medical Sciences at the National Institute of Genomic Medicine; they have support from the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies.

“The project involves identifying - with different sequencing strategies - three or four biomarkers that allow us to predict if a boy or girl is at risk or has a significant inflammatory process and should correct their lifestyle,” she explained.

The biologist and also a teacher in Sciences said that the aim is to fine-tune her protocol for measuring telomere length, so that it can be done anywhere in the country, regardless of the lack of sophisticated equipment.

Likewise, it is expected to include the analysis of the impact of the intestinal microbiota - the bacteria that we have in the intestine - on the functioning of the organism and how they change when there is metabolic syndrome in the selected Mexican child population.

“Our group is very interested in identifying biotechnological strategies with anti-inflammatory activity, to try to improve the quality of life of our population, especially the elderly, so that they are functional people who maintain their cognitive abilities.

“We cannot beat our biological clock, but we seek to contribute, in an appropriate manner and with scientific foundation, to improve the quality of life of our population,” said Pérez Martínez.