Neurotrophic factors and brain health in children with overweight and obesity: The role of cardiorespiratory fitness

ABSTRACT Neurotrophic factors and cardiorespiratory fitness are both considered important in developmental trajectories but their link to brain health remains poorly understood. The aims of the study were to examine whether levels of plasma‐derived neurotrophic factors were associated with brain health indicators in children with overweight or obesity; and to test whether these associations were moderated by cardiorespiratory fitness. 100 children (41% girls) were included in this analysis. Plasma levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, insulin‐like growth factor‐1, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and epidermal growth factor were determined by XMap technology. Academic performance and executive function were assessed using validated neuropsychological tests. Hippocampal volume was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using the 20‐m Shuttle Run Test. Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 was positively associated with cognitive flexibility. Stratified analyses by fitness categories (i.e. unfit vs. fit) showed that brain‐derived neurotrophic factor was positively associated with right posterior hippocampal volume in fit children, and epidermal growth factor was negatively associated with right hippocampal, and right anterior hippocampal volumes in their unfit peers, with a moderating role of cardiorespiratory fitness in these associations. However, all these significant associations disappeared after correction for multiple comparisons. The association between neurotrophic factors and brain health indicators in children with overweight/obesity was neither strong nor consistent. These results could help enhance our understanding of determinants of brain health in children with overweight/obesity. Highlights This study provides novel findings on the associations between neurotrophic factors and a wide range of brain health indicators in children. This study additionally explored the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in these associations. The association between neurotrophic factors and brain health in children with overweight/obesity was neither strong nor consistent. Cardiorespiratory fitness moderated the associations of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and epidermal growth factor with right hippocampal volume.