RED-CELL SODIUM-POTASSIUM ADENOSINE-TRIPHOSPHATASE SITES AND INTRACELLULAR SODIUM INCREASED IN OBESE SCHOOL-CHILDREN

Principally to ascertain whether mineral metabolism is involved in weight regulation, the 40 most obese of 1,774 children, aged 10-11 years, screened for obesity were compared with 46 age-matched controls. The obese children had more H-3-Ouabain erythrocyte binding sites (p = 0.04), higher intracellular sodium (p = 0.04), and lower plasma sodium (p = 0.002). After exclusion of the non-Scandinavians, the p values were p = 0.02, p = 0.03, and p = 0.03, respectively. Analysis of variance also showed the differences to be more dependent on obesity than on gender or nationality. It is concluded that obese children have more H-3-Ouabain erythrocyte binding sites indicating an increase of the sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase activity. The increase of intracellular sodium may increase the risk of future hypertension.