Objective: This study aimed to measure paraoxonase/arylesterase activities and to evaluate the total oxidant and antioxidant capacities in obese children and in children with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Methods: A total of 151 children of comparable ages (13.23±1.96 years, 13.45±1.85 years and 13.95±1.31 years) were enrolled in the study. Forty of these were children with MetS, 55 were obese and 56 were healthy controls. Diagnosis of the MetS was made according to International Diabetes Federation criteria. Paraoxonase/arylesterase activities were evaluated by using paraoxon and phenylacetate substrates. Total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured and oxidative stress index (OSI) was estimated by calculation.
Results: High levels of paraoxonase were detected in the obese group, whereas high levels of arylesterase were detected in both MetS and obese groups. Higher values for TOS, TAS and OSI were found in the MetS group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Higher values of mean TOS and OSI in the MetS group than those in the control groups indicate that these parameters may be indicators of future risks such as atherosclerosis in patients with MetS.