Abstract Objective To study the features of blood lipid metabolic profile in overweight/obese boys aged 9-12 years and the possible mechanism of overweight/obesity in children. Methods According to body mass index (BMI), 72 boys, aged 9-12 years, were divided into a control group with 42 boys and an overweight/obesity group with 30 boys. Fasting venous blood samples were collected early in the morning. BMI, waist-hip ratio, body composition, and blood lipids were measured. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique was used to analyze the serum lipid compounds. A statistical analysis and visualization of the data were performed. Results Compared with the control group, the overweight/obesity group had significantly higher waist-hip ratio, body fat percentage, and triglyceride level (P < 0.05) and a significantly lower level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05). The metabolomic analysis identified 150 differentially expressed lipid compounds between the two groups, mainly glycerolipids (40.7%), glycerophospholipids (24.7%), fatty acyls (10.7%), and sphingolipids (7.3%). The levels of most of glycerolipids were significantly upregulated in the overweight/obesity group, while those of most of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids were downregulated in this group. Key lipids with differential expression were enriched into two KEGG metabolic pathways, i.e., ether lipid metabolism pathway and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis pathway (P < 0.05), and might further affected the biosynthesis and metabolism of downstream coenzyme Q and other terpenoids (P=0.06). Conclusions Disordered lipid metabolic profile is observed in overweight/obese boys aged 9-12 years, with increases in most glycerolipids and reductions in glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Overweight/obese boys may have disorders in ether lipid metabolism and biosynthesis of terpenoid and even coenzyme Q.
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