Levels of circulating selenoprotein P, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 and FGF23 in relation to the metabolic syndrome in young children

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Circulating selenoprotein P (SeP), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 and FGF23 have been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults but not in children. We sought to evaluate the association among SeP, FGF21, FGF23 and MetS in young children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted during a school health examination on 210 children aged 9 years. We measured serum SeP, FGF21 and FGF23 levels, and assessed anthropometric and cardiometabolic variables. MetS was defined as the presence of. 3 of the following five criteria: high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high triglyceride, high fasting glucose and abdominal obesity. RESULTS: SeP was correlated positively with HDL-C and negatively with body mass index, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, transaminases, triglyceride and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). FGF21 was directly correlated with WC, triglyceride and HOMA-IR, and FGF23 was inversely correlated with fasting glucose and alanine aminotransferase. Children with MetS had lower SeP and FGF23 levels and higher HOMA-IR than children without MetS. The highest tertile of SeP had decreased odds for MetS (odds ratio 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00-0.96, P for trend = 0.042), whereas FGF21 and FGF23 did not relate to the risk for MetS after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated SeP concentrations are independently associated with a reduced risk of MetS in children. The associations between FGF21, FGF23 and metabolic parameters are not of comparable significance.