Parental determinants of metabolic syndrome among adolescent Asian Indians: A cross-sectional analysis of parent–offspring trios

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between parental metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of MS and associated abnormalities in adolescent offspring. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 304 adolescents (12–16 years; 236 children with at least one parent and 124 father–mother–child trios) recruited from four schools representing different socioeconomic strata from Vellore, India. Anthropometric data was collected and blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipids were measured. Results: The prevalence of MS in adolescent offspring, fathers, and mothers was 3.3%, 52.5%, and 48.7% respectively. The most commonly observed metabolic abnormality among adolescents was lower high-density lipoprotein. Maternal waist circumference (WC) was strongly correlated with adolescent body mass index (P = 0.007), WC (P < 0.001), serum triglycerides (P = 0.02), and systolic (P = 0.005) and diastolic (P = 0.01) blood pressure. Maternal MS status was significantly associated with a greater risk of central obesity (WC odds ratio [OR] 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–3.17) in offspring. Both parents having MS conferred a significant effect on the child's WC (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.72–2.07) and increased risk of MS (OR 6.19; 95% CI 1.64–23.26). Conclusions: This study highlights the possible heritable parental components that may contribute to the MS phenotype in offspring: MS in adolescent offspring is related to parental MS status, and maternal traits reflect offspring adiposity and metabolic traits more strongly than paternal factors. Therefore, adolescent children of parents with MS should be targets for primordial prevention of cardiometabolic disease.