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Association of serum total antioxidant capacity and uric acid with obesity and cardiometabolic traits in Mexican children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 80, pages 73–78 (2026)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

Serum total antioxidant capacity (sTAC) and uric acid (SUA) levels have been related to oxidative stress in metabolic diseases. Nevertheless, the evidence in epidemiological studies is still scarce and inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate the association between sTAC, SUA, obesity, and cardiometabolic traits in Mexican children.

Subjects/methods

This cross-sectional study analyzed anthropometric data, blood pressure, cardiometabolic traits, and SUA levels of 248 children with normal weight (NW) and 255 with obesity (OB). sTAC was measured with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method.

Results

sTAC was directly related to SUA (β = 0.905 ± 0.358, p = 0.012). Obesity was positively associated with sTAC (β = 0.075 ± 0.020, p < 0.001) and SUA (β = 0.706 ± 0.129, p < 0.001). sTAC was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (β = -8.458 ± 3.758, p = 0.026) in NW children and positively associated with insulin (β = 9.511 ± 3.107, p = 0.002) and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (β = 2.065 ± 0.680, p = 0.003) in OB children. SUA showed negative associations with total cholesterol (β = -4.062 ± 1.340, p = 0.003) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = -2.470 ± 1.190, p = 0.039) in NW children and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = -1.306 ± 0.409, p < 0.01) in OB children.

Conclusion

sTAC and SUA are positively associated and are increased in obesity. According to weight status, sTAC and SUA are associated with blood pressure, insulin resistance markers, and lipid profile.

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Fig. 1: Association of serum total antioxidant capacity (sTAC) with serum uric acid (SUA).
Fig. 2: Association of obesity status with serum total antioxidant capacity and uric acid levels.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the children who participated in this study and their parents or guardians for their valuable support and commitment. We would like to thank MD. Andrés Rocha Aguado, the nutritionist Evelyn Lizeth Martínez Cisneros, M.D. Brenda Valdez Feregrino (Family Medicine) and the staff of the clinical laboratory service of UMF No. 23 (IMSS), Daniela Orozco-Colín (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), Monserrat Hernández Reyes (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), and the Federal Educational Authorities of Mexico City for their invaluable efforts and contributions to this work.

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) under the program Temas Prioritarios en Salud 2018 (Grant No. FIS/IMSS/PROT/PRIO/18/079). A.N.C. (Ciencias Médicas Odontológicas y de la Salud PhD program from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) was supported by PhD fellowships from the Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación (SECIHTI). A.R.C. was supported by Investigadoras e Investigadores por México fellowships from the SECIHTI.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Investigación Médica en Bioquímica, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico

    Ana Nava-Cabrera, Armando Ramírez-Cruz, Miguel Vazquez-Moreno & Miguel Cruz

  2. Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Médicas, Odontológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

    Ana Nava-Cabrera

  3. OOAD DF Norte del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 23, Mexico City, Mexico

    Araceli Pérez-Bautista

  4. OOAD Campeche del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 13, Campeche, Mexico

    Alan Canul-Ayil

  5. OOAD Campeche del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 10, Campeche, Mexico

    Gloria Chi-Díaz

  6. Facultad de Ciencias de la Nutrición y Alimentos, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico

    Elena Flores-Guillén

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  1. Ana Nava-Cabrera
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  2. Armando Ramírez-Cruz
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  7. Miguel Vazquez-Moreno
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  8. Miguel Cruz
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Contributions

A.N.C., M.V.M. and M.C. designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the manuscript, and designed tables and figures. A.N.C., M.V.M., A.R.C., A.P.B., A.C.A., G.C.D. and E.F.G. collected the data, performed the experiments, and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Miguel Vazquez-Moreno or Miguel Cruz.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

The research protocol was approved by the National Scientific Research Commission and the Ethics Commission of the IMSS (CONBIOETICA-09-CEI-009-20160601; Registration number R-2016-785-100) and was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Nava-Cabrera, A., Ramírez-Cruz, A., Pérez-Bautista, A. et al. Association of serum total antioxidant capacity and uric acid with obesity and cardiometabolic traits in Mexican children. Eur J Clin Nutr 80, 73–78 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-025-01651-9

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