Biochemical assessment of insulin and vitamin D levels in obese adolescents after diet and physical activity: A retrospective observational study

Study aim: Obesity is a serious public health problem that has spread over the past 40 years in industrialized countries. This condition can predispose to the onset of several chronic diseases for instance hyperlipidemia which is involved in multiple signaling pathways for bone homeostasis. There is a communication between adipose tissue and bone, which can regulate each other through feedback mechanisms including glucose consumption by bone, also regulating insulin levels. In our observational study, we analyzed the effects of low-impact training, particularly swimming, combined with a mediterranean diet on obese pre-adolescents.

Material and methods: Six-month of an observational study was performed involving twenty pre-adolescents aged between 8 and 12 years with diagnosed obesity with z-BMI >2, according to the World Health Organization guidelines.

Results: The assessment was carried out at the beginning of the intervention (T0) and at the end of treatment (T1). All participants were randomly assigned to either: the control group (CG) just followed the mediterranean diet whilst the experimental group (EG) over the mediterranean diet followed a planned physical activity.

The results showed statistically significant differences between T0 and T1 in both CG and EG, especially concerning 1,25(OH)₂D and insulin levels. However, the differences were more impressive in EG (1,25(OH)₂D 9.27 vs 25.64; Insulin 29.31 vs 12.66) compared with CG (1,25(OH)₂D 8.7 vs 13.7; Insulin 28.45 vs 22.76).

Conclusions: In conclusion, these results showed the importance of diet and low-impact exercise intervention to improve pre-adolescent’s health especially those with obesity.