Aim: To investigate potential cardiac and vascular differences between normoweight and overweight female adolescents.
Methods: Normoweight (BMI= 23,1 ± 2,3) and overweight (BMI=28,4 ± 4,1) adolescent girls up to the age of 23 years, who attended the Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, over a period of one year, were eligible to participate in the study. Cardiovascular assessment of each study participant was performed at the Clinical Research Centre of the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, with the use of: a. Task Force Monitor for the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and time domain parameters of heart rate variability as sensitive markers of cardiac function, b. Vivid 7 for intima media thickness of carotid arteries.
Results: Forty one adolescent girls aged 13-23 years were enrolled in the study. No differences in cardiac or vascular marker was detected between normoweight and overweight participants (p>0.05), but in baroreflex sensitivity (p=0.01).
Conclusions: Changes in vascular pathophysiology associated to fat excess do not seem to manifest early in adolescence. On the contrary, BRS in this female adolescents specific population study, shows significant difference between the two weight groups. As this marker depends on age, BMI, arterial pressure, waist circumference, abdominal fat extensive body composition and vascular study is suggested.