Search Results (3,169)

Background/Objectives: Omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acid supplementation has shown metabolic and immunomodulatory benefits, but evidence in pediatric insulin resistance is limited, and the persistence of effects after treatment discontinuation remains uncharacterized. This study evaluated the independent and combined effects of omega-3 and omega-9 supplementation on the metabolic and inflammatory profile of children with obesity and insulin resistance, during and after active treatment. Methods: This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized, triple-blind, three-arm parallel trial (NCT05488223) included 97 children (8–17 years) with overweight/obesity and baseline insulin resistance (HOMA-IR > 3.0). Participants received 1.8 g/day of omega-3 (n = 32), omega-9 (n = 34), or combined supplementation (n = 31) for 3 months, followed by a 2-month post-intervention follow-up. Metabolic and inflammatory markers were assessed at baseline (T1), end of treatment (T2), and follow-up (T3). The primary outcome was the change in HOMA-IR from T1 to T2. Results: Active supplementation significantly reduced fasting insulin and HOMA-IR in the Combined (p < 0.001) and Omega-9 (p = 0.010 and p = 0.006) groups; at month 5, only the Combined group maintained significant reductions in both. IL-6 and leptin decreased across all groups during intervention and remained reduced at follow-up. Multivariable regression (n = 96) showed the metabolic response was most strongly associated with baseline metabolic status and concurrent BMI reduction rather than intervention group, which was not an independent predictor of metabolic response, nor consistently of inflammatory outcomes (one exception: a smaller IL-4 increase with omega-9, p = 0.043, unconfirmed in GEE). Conclusions: Within-group reductions in HOMA-IR and fasting insulin persisted after discontinuation only in the Combined group, but without significant between-group differences at any timepoint, consistent with response magnitude reflecting baseline status and adiposity reduction rather than treatment group per se. This positions combined supplementation as a potential metabolic adjuvant—not a standalone therapy—for HOMA-IR-defined insulin resistance in pediatric obesity, assessed here via anthropometric and biochemical rather than imaging-based measures. Full article

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese school-aged children has continued to rise, posing significant health risks. Rational nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors are important for obesity prevention and control. The ‘Know Your Food’ campaign aimed to promote nutritious diets and empower informed food choices among Chinese children and young people. This study aims to assess both the implementation and effectiveness of the campaign in primary school settings. Methods: The monitoring framework was designed using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework and consisted of a series of social media advocacy and school-based nutrition sessions. A monitoring system based on the RE-AIM model was developed to assess the impact of the campaign. Observational data on reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance were collected through media tracking, self-reported questionnaires, and focus group discussions. Results: Between 13 May and 15 June 2022, the campaign gained 77.13 million views and 291,029 interactions from social media. The campaign garnered positive feedback as it reached a wide audience through traditional media, social media and school sessions. 94.7% of the respondents were willing to share campaign information. After the session, more than two thirds of the students reported behavior change, with 70.0% reporting eating five vegetables a day, 67.7% reporting drinking fewer sugary drinks, 74.0% reporting replacing snacks with fruits/nuts, 76.9% reporting doing exercises, and 78.0% reporting getting sufficient sleep. Conclusions: The ‘Know Your Food’ campaign was able to reach and engage the target audience, increasing nutrition knowledge, and influencing behavior change within the short observation window. The findings exemplify the implementation and effectiveness of this campaign and highlight the importance of using a comprehensive assessment framework to assess such nutrition campaigns. Full article

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used to assess pediatric obesity but has limitations in distinguishing between fat and muscle mass. This study aimed to investigate the association between various body composition parameters and insulin resistance (IR) and to evaluate their clinical utility in prepubertal children with obesity. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated prepubertal children with obesity. Anthropometric measures and body composition, including percent body fat (PBF) and fat-to-muscle ratio (FMR), were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. IR was defined as a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥2.5. Spearman rank correlation, linear regression, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify independent associated factors for IR. Results: A total of 147 prepubertal children (61 males, 86 females) were analyzed. The IR group exhibited significantly higher waist circumference SDS (WC_SDS), waist circumference-to-height ratio SDS (WHtR_SDS), and FMR compared to the non-IR group (all p < 0.05). In correlation analysis, HOMA-IR showed significant positive associations with WC_SDS (ρ = 0.39) and FMR (ρ = 0.22). After adjusting for age and sex, WC SDS (odds ratio (OR) = 6.04; 95% CI: 2.47–14.75; p < 0.001), FMR (OR = 4.41; 95% CI: 1.16–16.78; p = 0.030), BMI SDS (OR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.30–4.10; p = 0.004), and PBF (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04–1.20; p = 0.004) remained independent risk factors for IR. Conclusions: In prepubertal children with obesity, WC SDS, FMR, BMI SDS and PBF were each significantly associated with IR after adjusting for age and sex. These findings suggest that measures of central adiposity and fat-to-muscle balance, in addition to conventional weight-based indices, are relevant to metabolic risk assessment in this age group. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pediatric obesity is linked to adverse metabolic outcomes and altered growth trajectories. Conventional weight-reduction strategies often raise concerns regarding potential impairment of linear growth, highlighting the need for approaches that reduce adiposity while preserving physiological development. Methods: This real-world clinical study investigated children aged 7–16 years who were administered the herbal medicine Soagambi-tang for 2 weeks, followed by a follow-up evaluation 6 months post-treatment. Anthropometric measures, body composition, and growth velocity were evaluated. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses were employed to investigate potential molecular mechanisms. Results: Twenty-five participants were included. After treatment, the proportion of children classified as obese decreased from 60.0% to 36.0%, and 32.0% showed improvement in weight-status category without any worsening. Body fat percentage decreased consistently among participants with available body composition data, from 30.24 ± 4.52% to 25.95 ± 5.44% (p < 0.0001), and fat mass significantly decreased from 15.22 ± 5.60 kg to 14.28 ± 5.77 kg (p = 0.0496), whereas lean body mass increased from 36.12 ± 12.08 kg to 38.89 ± 12.70 kg (p < 0.001). BMI percentile significantly decreased from 93.7 ± 3.9 to 91.2 ± 6.1 (p = 0.008), while height z-score and height percentile significantly increased from 0.57 ± 0.99 to 0.77 ± 1.07 and from 64.5 ± 25.5 to 68.6 ± 25.0, respectively (both p < 0.001). Mean annual height velocity was 7.45 ± 2.43 cm/year, and height change was positively correlated with lean body mass change (r = 0.543, p = 0.005), reflecting a meaningful upward shift in growth trajectory. In silico network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses identified key bioactive compounds in Soagambi-tang that were predicted to be associated with pathways related to pediatric obesity and puberty-associated endocrine regulation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Soagambi-tang treatment was associated with reduced adiposity and preserved linear growth in children with overweight or obesity. Given the study design and limited sample size, controlled prospective studies are required to confirm efficacy and safety. Full article

The coexistence of undernutrition and excess weight is an important child public health challenge. This study described temporal trends and departmental spatial configurations of wasting, stunting, overweight, and obesity among children under five years of age in Peru during 2014–2024. Analyses used anthropometric assessment records from the Nutritional Status Information System (SIEN), collected in public healthcare facilities and aggregated by department and year. Annual Percentage Change summarized average temporal trends, while observed prevalence maps, Global Moran’s I, Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), and a median-based bivariate classification were applied independently to 2014, 2019, and 2024. Queen contiguity was the primary spatial specification, along with KNN-4 sensitivity analysis. Wasting and obesity increased on average, stunting decreased, and overweight showed no significant long-term trend. Global autocorrelation was most consistent for wasting, whereas findings for excess-weight indicators were sensitive to the weights matrix. LISA identified local spatial classifications at nominal p < 0.05; however, these findings were exploratory because no multiple-testing correction was applied. The bivariate classification identified two, four, and three departments with concurrent high relative undernutrition and excess-weight scores in 2014, 2019, and 2024, respectively. These record-based findings show territorial heterogeneity within SIEN but do not represent population prevalence, causal geographic effects, or an integrated spatiotemporal process. Full article

Background: Epidemiological patterns vary across populations and treatment centres worldwide, with obesity consistently reported as the main risk factor. The primary aim of this study was to characterise age- and sex-adjusted body mass index (BMI) z-scores in children with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) treated in Bern, as well as to investigate their association with clinical characteristics. A secondary aim was to compare the observed characteristics with those reported internationally. Methods: This is a single-centre, retrospective cohort study conducted at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital, Inselspital, University of Bern, and included patients under the age of 18 who were treated for SCFE between 2005 and 2025. Demographic, clinical, and anthropometric data were collected for all patients, including sex, age at the time of surgery, slip severity using the Southwick angle, intraoperative slip stability, symptom duration, as classified by Fahey/O’Brien, affected side of the hip, as well as height and weight at the time of surgery. The primary outcome was the age- and sex-adjusted BMI z-score at the time of surgery. Analyses stratified by sex, age, and slip severity were prespecified as secondary analyses. All other subgroup analyses were exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Results: The final cohort included 90 males (69.23%) and 40 females (30.77%). BMI data were available for 114 of the 130 patients. Two-thirds of the patients (62.3%) were overweight or obese. The median BMI z-score was 1.43 (interquartile range 0.72–2.19; mean 1.31 ± 1.11) and was significantly higher than the expected reference value of 0 (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in BMI z-scores between females and males (p = 0.288). A statistically significant association was observed between age at surgery and BMI z-score. Higher age at surgery was associated with lower BMI z-scores (p = 0.007). There was a trend towards lower BMI z-scores with increasing slip severity. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.158). In an exploratory, hypothesis-generating analysis, patients with stable slips had significantly higher BMI z-scores than those with unstable slips (p = 0.008). This association persisted after adjustment for age and after correction for multiple testing (p_adj = 0.032). A further exploratory, hypothesis-generating analysis showed that BMI z-scores also differed significantly across symptom duration, as classified by Fahey/O’Brien (p = 0.026). The lowest values were observed in the acute-on-chronic group. However, these differences just missed the threshold for statistical significance after adjustment for age and after correction for multiple testing (p_adj = 0.052). Conclusions: In Switzerland, children diagnosed with SCFE had a significantly higher BMI compared to the reference population. Our study revealed that two-thirds of the children were classified as overweight or obese, with obesity being approximately ten times more prevalent among this group compared to the overall Swiss paediatric population. A higher relative body weight was found to be independently associated with a younger age at surgery, consistent with obesity accelerating skeletal maturation and advancing the manifestation of SCFE. We identified a trend towards lower BMI z-scores with increasing slip severity; however, this finding did not reach statistical significance. Consequently, elevated body weight should be regarded as a marker of predisposition and earlier disease onset rather than of slip severity. Childhood obesity prevention may be relevant to SCFE prevention in Switzerland. Full article

Background: Pediatric cardiometabolic health in the United States is declining, driven by rising rates of obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. School lunch programs provide a unique opportunity to influence children’s dietary behaviors, reaching millions of students across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds each day. Increasing the availability of plant-based meals in school lunch programs may help reduce modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors and serve as a cost-effective, population-level strategy to promote long-term cardiovascular health. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional narrative policy review of school lunch programs across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Publicly available state statutes, regulations, school nutrition guidance, government reports, and educational resources were systematically reviewed to identify official statewide policies or guidance explicitly supporting plant-based or vegetarian meals. Jurisdictions were classified as providing either Explicit Support or Not Specified according to predefined coding criteria. We also assessed whether jurisdictions specified the frequency of plant-based meal offerings. Results: Only 3 of 51 jurisdictions (5.9%)—California, the District of Columbia, and Illinois—provided explicit statewide support for plant-based meal options. The remaining 48 jurisdictions (94.1%) did not explicitly promote or support plant-based meals in official statewide school nutrition policies or guidance. No jurisdiction mandated the frequency of plant-based meal offerings, although the District of Columbia provided non-binding guidance encouraging regular inclusion. Conclusions: Explicit statewide support for plant-based or vegetarian school meals remains rare in the United States. Strengthening state-level policies and developing standardized guidance on the inclusion and frequency of plant-based meals in school lunch programs may represent a feasible population-level strategy to improve dietary quality and reduce future pediatric cardiometabolic risk. Full article

Background: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) assesses functional exercise capacity, but existing reference equations for children with obesity rely on traditional linear regression, potentially overlooking complex, non-linear relationships between anthropometric characteristics and functional exercise capacity. Objective: This study aimed to develop and internally validate machine-learning (ML) prediction models and preliminary prediction equations derived from explainable ML models for six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in Tunisian school-aged children with obesity and to compare their predictive performance with a conventional regression-based approach. Methods: We analyzed data from 236 school-aged children with obesity (104 females, 132 males; 6–12 years). Anthropometric measurements included body mass (BM), height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). Five models were evaluated: linear regression, Ridge, Lasso, Elastic Net, and XGBoost. Performance was assessed using five-fold cross-validation and evaluated by the mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). Predictor importance was assessed using SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) and Gini importance. Results: XGBoost achieved the best predictive performance, with the lowest MAE (17.4 ± 2.5 m in females and 19.5 ± 1.9 m in males) and RMSE (25.3 ± 3.1 m in females and 26.4 ± 2.2 m in males). Age was the strongest predictor across all models (SHAP: 54.2–62.0%; Gini importance: 0.52–0.69), followed by height and BMI. Sex-specific analyses indicated that, in females, age and BMI contributed ~80% to the cumulative SHAP analysis; whereas, in males, age, height, and WC were the primary factors. Conclusions: ML, particularly XGBoost, significantly improves 6MWD prediction in school-aged children with obesity compared with traditional linear regression. Explainable ML increases model interpretability by evaluating the relative importance of anthropometric predictors. These obesity-specific prediction models may better capture complex non-linear associations between anthropometrics and functional exercise capacity. These initial population-specific models should be validated in larger independent samples before routine use clinical or field settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity are associated with adverse body composition and impaired glucose metabolism. Probiotic and synbiotic supplementation may modulate the gut microbiota and has been proposed as a potential adjunctive strategy for obesity management. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotic and synbiotic supplementation on body composition and glucose metabolism in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity. Methods: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 statement. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI were searched from inception to 5 May 2026. Randomized controlled trials evaluating probiotic or synbiotic supplementation in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity were included. Outcomes included BMI z-score, BMI, waist circumference, body fat percentage, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR. Random-effects meta-analyses, sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analyses according to intervention type (probiotic versus synbiotic supplementation) were performed using mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Results: Sixteen randomized controlled trials were included. Probiotic or synbiotic supplementation did not significantly reduce BMI z-score (MD = −0.03, 95% CI −0.11 to 0.05), waist circumference (MD = 0.60 cm, 95% CI −1.57 to 2.77), or body fat percentage (MD = −0.29 percentage points, 95% CI −1.64 to 1.06). A modest reduction in BMI was observed (MD = −0.91 kg/m², 95% CI −1.81 to −0.01), although this finding should be interpreted cautiously because no significant improvement was observed in BMI z-score. No significant effects were found for fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or HOMA-IR. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences between probiotic and synbiotic supplementation for BMI, BMI z-score, or waist circumference, whereas a significant subgroup difference was observed for fasting glucose. Conclusions: Probiotic or synbiotic supplementation may be associated with a modest reduction in BMI; however, the certainty of this evidence was low, which limits confidence in its clinical implications. Current evidence does not support clear benefits for BMI z-score, waist circumference, body fat percentage, or glucose metabolism. The subgroup findings, particularly for fasting glucose, should be interpreted cautiously because they were based on a limited number of studies. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are warranted. Full article

Background: Adolescence represents an essential stage of life for the prevention of metabolic changes associated with diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify nutritional status and associate it with metabolic alterations in adolescent girls. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that included adolescent 10–14-year-old girls from public schools. The research was undertaken with 79 girls. Results: We identified that over half of the girls were sedentary, excessively exposed to screens, physically inactive, and did not practice physical activities in sunlight. The menarche age was significantly lower in girls with overweight and obesity. Most girls skipped breakfast (53.1%) and watched television (84.8%). We observed a high percentage of adolescents with overweight (65.7%), hypovitaminosis D (78.4%) and high levels of triglycerides (69.6%). We did not find an association between hypovitaminosis D and some recorded metabolic parameters (glycemia, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c and triglycerides). However, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, HDL-c, and systolic blood pressure were significantly associated with overweight and obesity, and our results may reflect the characteristics of the study sample and suggest that obese children may already exhibit early signs and risk factors for these chronic diseases during childhood, consistent with national and international data. Conclusions: The identification of metabolic alterations, nutritional status and lifestyle enables early and directed interventions, which may lead to the present and future cardiometabolic health improvements relative to adolescents. Full article

Asthma prevalence in school-age children varies widely by geography, from below 5% in some regions to above 20% in others, averaging 10–12% across industrialized countries, but genetic factors account for less than 40% of disease liability. Gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a critical intermediary between early-life dietary exposure and immunological trajectories that determine asthma susceptibility. Through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyrate, propionate, and acetate, commensal bacteria regulate dendritic cell function, promote T-regulatory (Treg) cell differentiation, and attenuate Th2-polarized airway inflammation via the gut–lung axis. Epidemiological cohorts including CHILD, WHEALS, and PASTURE associate early-life dysbiosis and reduced Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii with increased asthma risk, while dietary patterns rich in fermentable fibre, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and diverse plant-based foods are associated with preserved microbial diversity and, in preclinical models, attenuated type-2 inflammatory signalling. This narrative review synthesizes mechanistic and epidemiological evidence on how nutritional exposures shape gut microbiota composition and influences asthma onset and severity in paediatric populations, including the distinct obesity-related asthma phenotype. Critical gaps, insufficient dietary intervention trials with microbiome endpoints, methodological heterogeneity across cohorts, and the paucity of data from non-Western populations are discussed, with implications for preventive nutritional counselling in paediatric allergology practice. Full article

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder associated with significant neurocognitive, behavioral, cardiovascular, and metabolic consequences. Although adenotonsillectomy remains first-line therapy for many children, residual OSA is common, particularly among those with obesity, craniofacial abnormalities, genetic syndromes, neuromuscular disease, or other forms of medical complexity. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard non-surgical treatment; however, long-term effectiveness is frequently limited by poor tolerance and adherence. Heated high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy has emerged as a potential alternative for selected children with sleep-disordered breathing, particularly those who are unable to tolerate conventional positive airway pressure therapy. Unlike CPAP, HFNC delivers heated, humidified gas through an open nasal interface and may improve sleep-disordered breathing through a combination of flow-dependent positive airway pressure generation, dead-space washout, improved ventilatory efficiency, enhanced gas conditioning, and reductions in inspiratory resistance. However, the relative contribution of these mechanisms during sleep remains incompletely understood. Current clinical evidence consists primarily of physiological studies, retrospective cohorts, case series, and a limited number of prospective comparative studies. Collectively, these data suggest that HFNC can reduce obstructive respiratory events and improve oxygenation in selected pediatric populations, including children with persistent OSA, CPAP intolerance, medical complexity, and syndromic conditions. Nevertheless, important uncertainties remain regarding optimal patient selection, titration strategies, patient monitoring, long-term adherence and comparative effectiveness relative to CPAP. This review summarizes the physiological basis of HFNC therapy, critically appraises the current clinical evidence, discusses practical considerations related to adherence and implementation, and highlights key knowledge gaps and future research priorities. Overall, HFNC should be viewed as an alternative for selected children who cannot tolerate CPAP, rather than as a universal substitute for pressure-based therapy. Full article

Background: Childhood obesity is a growing health concern and added sugar intake has been associated with increased obesity risk. Emerging evidence suggests that miR-143-5p and miR-223-3p are involved in metabolic regulation. Therefore, this study evaluated their plasma expression according to added sugar intake and their association with cardiometabolic risk parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 91 children aged 6–12 years, comprising 44 with normal weight and 47 with overweight/obesity. Anthropometric measurements, clinical characteristics, and dietary added sugar intake were assessed. Plasma expression of miR-143-5p and miR-223-3p was quantified by RT-qPCR. Results: Compared with low added sugar intake, high added sugar intake was associated with lower plasma miR-143-5p expression and higher miR-223-3p expression. Both miR-143-5p and miR-223-3p expression levels were higher in children with overweight/obesity and insulin resistance than in their respective counterparts. In adjusted analyses, neither miRNA was associated with cardiometabolic risk parameters. However, added sugar intake was positively associated with miR-223-3p expression (β = 0.188, 95% CI: 0.022, 0.354) and glucose levels (β = 1.944, 95% CI: 0.133, 3.755). Conclusions: These findings suggest that higher added sugar intake is associated with altered circulating miRNA expression and higher fasting glucose concentrations in school-aged children. Full article

Background: The prevalence of pediatric obesity in Spain is among the highest in Europe. Although national surveillance reports a 4.5% decrease in excess weight, these primarily cross-sectional data may underrepresent the metabolic complexity observed in clinical settings. We aim to characterize the evolution of abnormal adiposity and to evaluate the transition probabilities between body mass index (BMI) categories in a multi-regional Spanish cohort. Methods: We analyzed Real-World Data (RWD) from 37,465 children and adolescents (ages 0–18) treated at HM Hospitales “Observatorio de la Obesidad Infantil,” between 2021 and 2026. Longitudinal BMI z-score trajectories were evaluated using continuous-time Markov chain models to determine transition probabilities between weight categories and identify developmental windows of adiposity plasticity. Results: At baseline, 21.6% of the cohort presented overweight/obesity, with a higher frequency of overweight in females than males (13.0% and 11.2%, respectively; p < 0.01) and obesity similar between sexes (~10%). Markov modeling identified a “critical window” in children aged 2–5, who demonstrated a 75% probability of reverting to a normal weight. Conversely, children aged 6–11 entered an “adiposity trap,” characterized by a 60.0% obesity persistence rate and a 23.2% risk of progressing from overweight to obesity. A sharp initial drop in z-scores was observed immediately following the baseline clinical assessment across all groups. Conclusions: Our study reveals a significant window of opportunity for abnormal adiposity improvement between the ages of two and five, which contrasts with the adiposity inertia (diminished category fluidity) observed after age five. Full article

Childhood obesity may be associated with an accelerated loss of thermogenic adipocytes, increasing the risk of progressive lipid accumulation and metabolic deterioration. Early detection of the loss of thermogenic adipocytes would allow improved intervention to abrogate childhood obesity, yet reliable markers of human thermogenic adipocytes remain limited. We previously identified expression of FAM153A (family with sequence similarity 153 member A) in the developing human adipose tissue. Here, we investigated the expression pattern and potential association of FAM153A with the thermogenic transcriptional program in the adipose tissue of infants, children, and adolescents. We found that adipocyte FAM153A expression was triggered by beta adrenergic receptor stimulation, a key signal of adipocyte thermogenesis. FAM153A protein was confined to preadipocyte and adipocyte nuclei, and FAM153A mRNA expression positively correlated with the mRNA levels of canonical thermogenic adipocyte markers including uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD1), type II iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO2), transmembrane protein 26 (TMEM26), Lim Homeobox 8 (LHX8), beta adrenergic receptor 2 (ADRB2), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1A). Importantly, FAM153A expression was positively associated not only with the expression of individual thermogenic genes but also with their coordinated co-expression. Collectively, our findings identify FAM153A as a novel mRNA biomarker of human thermogenic adipocytes that serves as a robust indicator of the thermogenic transcriptional network. Full article