Helicobacter pylori seropositivity associates with hyperglycemia, but not obesity in Danish children and adolescents

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the human stomach and may affect the inflammatory response, hormone production related to energy regulation, and gut microbiota composition. Previous studies have demonstrated an inverse correlation between H. pylori seropositivity and pediatric obesity. We hypothesized that we would find a similar relationship among Danish children and adolescents. We assessed H. pylori seroprevalence in 713 subjects from an obesity clinic cohort and 990 subjects from a population-based cohort, and its association with obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors. No association was found between H. pylori and body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS). H. pylori seropositivity was, however, associated with higher fasting blood glucose levels and the prevalence of hyperglycemia, suggesting that H. pylori may contribute to impaired glucose regulation in Danish children and adolescents. ![Figure][1] ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The research was funded by a Sapere Aude grant from Independent Research Council Denmark (906400029B), a Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship (R33520191513), and a Novo Nordisk Foundation fellowship (NNF16OC0018638) to Sandra B. Andersen. Infrastructure at the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation grant (DNRF143). The HOLBAEK study was supported by the Innovation Fund Denmark (060300484B), the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF15OC0016544) and the MicrobLiver Challenge (NNF15OC0016692). Cilius E. Fonvig is supported by the BRIDGE Translational Excellence Programme (NNF18SA0034956) and the Region Zealand Health Scientific Research Foundation. The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research is supported by an unrestricted grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF18CC0034900). ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: In accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, participants provided informed consent. For individuals below 18 years of age, written consent was acquired from their parents or legal guardians, whereas those 18 years or older provided their own written consent. The study received ethical approval from the Scientific Ethics Committee of Region Zealand, Denmark (protocol No. SJ-104) and the Danish Data Protection Agency. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Restrictions apply to the availability of some or all data generated or analyzed during this study to preserve patient confidentiality. The corresponding author will on request detail the restrictions and any conditions under which access to some data may be provided. [1]: pending:yes