A novel approach to the study of pediatric obesity: a biomarker model.

Increases in sedentary lifestyle and high calorie food consumption, among other factors, have contributed to epidemic levels of childhood obesity in the United States.1 Children who are overweight during the preschool period are more likely to become overweight adolescents and obese adults.2 In fact, a rapid gain in body mass index (BMI) in early childhood has been shown to affect adulthood mortality and morbidity.3 Therefore, it appears that common forms of obesity often have their roots in childhood. Yet, the biologic processes underpinning the connection between childhood and later adulthood obesity are unclear. The body attempts to maintain stability through change. It does this every minute of every day by maintaining narrow set points, such as body temperature through homeostasis, while more dynamically regulating large systems, such as the cardiovascular system (CVS); immune system; sympathetic nervous system (SNS); metabolic system; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis); and central nervous system (CNS). This concept is called “allostasis.” Allostasis is a multifactorial biomarker model that captures the complex regulation and relationship between multiple