The effect of overweight and obesity on liver biochemical markers in children and adolescents

Obesity is characterized by associating with the progression of different metabolic disorders. In this study, the relationship between obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was investigated by taking liver enzymes, lipid profile and serum protein carbonyl content as variables of comparison. The study was included 50 healthy lean people, 40 obese people with healthy liver, and another 40 obese people with NAFLD. The age comparison among the three groups gave non-significant changes, while the body mass index of obese people at both groups was significantly higher than lean control, and non-significant between them. The activities of AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, and GGT were significantly increased in the serum of NAFLD obese patients compared to control, while ALT, ALP, and LDH were increased significantly in healthy obese people compared to control. AST, and GGT were observed to be significantly higher in NAFLD obese people compared to healthy obese people. Lipid profile parameters were significantly altered in obese people at both groups, but only triglycerides and VLDL were showed significant higher levels in NAFLD obese patients compared to healthy obese people. The level of protein carbonyl was increased in both of obese groups compared to control, and further significant higher levels were observed in NAFLD obese patients compared to healthy obese people