Obesity, hyperlipidemia and some other metabolic abnormalities were investigated for school boys and girls in Shinjo City, Nara Prefecture. In 1968, obesity (body weight excess more than 20% of the ideal) was found in 4.5% of the children in primary school, and in 5.8% of the boys and girls in junior high school. Half of the obese children succeeded in weight reduction through dietary care and exercise and the body weight was in normal range when examined in 1972. Girls showed much better results than boys (rate of recovery: 62% for girls and 36% for boys). In spite of the effort against obesity, the frequency of obesity in general was not reduced at the last examination performed in 1972, because approximately the same number of children as those who succeeded in weight reduction newly developed obesity during the period between the first and the last examinations.
The mean value (±standard deviation) of serum cholesterol in boys and girls in junior high school was 166±28mg/dl and the value of serum triglycerides was 79±21. There were no sexual differences in serum lipids, but uric acid level was higher in boys than in girls (4.4±0.9 vs 3.8±0.6mg/dl, Folin method). Frequency of abnormalities which exceeded the normal range (mean+double s. d.) was 4.1% for cholesterol and 5.8% for triglycerides. Serum lipid levels of the obese were 177±33mg/dl for cholesterol and 97±35 for triglycerides.
Distribution ratio of cholesterol between β±pre β/α lipoproteins was 2.46±0.86 for males and 2.16±0.64 for females. Obese children showed a significantly higher value compared with nonobese children (3.27±1.17 vs 2.18±0.58, P<0.001). Compared with the non-obese and leans, obese children showed a significantly higher value of serum GPT and a lower value of serum alkaline phosphatase activity.
