Inflammation, Autonomic Control, and Adiposity in Adolescents: Links to Early Cardiovascular Risk

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are generally associated with adulthood, although the underlying processes may begin in childhood and adolescence. Thus, detecting increased cardiovascular risk in adolescence is essential for prevention. In this cross-sectional study, we comprehensively evaluated the inter-relationships between inflammatory markers, cardiac autonomic control indexed by heart rate variability (HRV), and adiposity measures in healthy adolescents, with sex-stratified analyses. We examined 90 adolescents (55 females; age 15.8 ± 1.5 years; BMI 21.4 ± 3.3 kg/m²). We found mixed (positive and negative) associations between inflammatory markers and HRV indices among the entire adolescent group (absolute r range: 0.266-0.395, <i>p</i> < 0.05 for all), while only negative associations in the male group, and only positive associations in the female group (absolute r range: 0.373-0.404, <i>p</i> < 0.05 for all). Furthermore, predominantly positive associations between inflammatory markers and adiposity measures were found among the adolescent group (absolute r range: 0.298-0.338, <i>p</i> < 0.05 for all) and female group (absolute r range: 0.342-0.485, <i>p</i> < 0.05 for all), while contrasting negative associations were found in the male group (absolute r range: 0.421-0.497, <i>p</i> < 0.05 for all). These associations, representing early pathways to cardiovascular vulnerability, seem sex-dependent, but longitudinal confirmation is required.