Longitudinal Investigation of Pubertal Milestones and Hormones As a Function of Body Fat in Girls

Overview

Journal J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2021 Feb 25

PMID 33630047

Citations 11

Authors

Madison T Ortega

John A McGrath

Lauren Carlson

Vanessa Flores Poccia

Gary Larson

Christian Douglas

Bob Z Sun

Shanshan Zhao

Breana Beery

Hubert W Vesper

Lumi Duke

Julianne C Botelho

Armando C Filie

Natalie D Shaw

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Context: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that overweight/obese girls (OW/OB) undergo thelarche and menarche earlier than normal weight girls (NW). There have been no longitudinal studies to specifically investigate how body weight/fat affects both clinical and biochemical pubertal markers in girls.

Objective: To investigate the effect of total body fat on reproductive hormones and on the maturation of estrogen-sensitive tissues during puberty in girls.

Methods: Ninety girls (36 OW/OB, 54 NW), aged 8.2 to 14.7 years, completed 2.8 ± 1.7 study visits over 4 years. Visits included dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to calculate total body fat (TBF), Tanner staging, breast ultrasound for morphological staging (BMORPH; A-E), pelvic ultrasound, hormone tests, and assessment of menarchal status. The effect of TBF on pubertal markers was determined using a mixed, multistate, or Cox proportional hazards model, controlling for baseline BMORPH.

Results: NW were older than OW/OB (11.3 vs 10.2 years, P < .01) at baseline and had more advanced BMORPH (P < .01). Luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and ovarian and uterine volumes increased with time with no effect of TBF. There was a time × TBF interaction for follicle-stimulating hormone, inhibin B, estrone, total and free testosterone, and androstenedione: Levels were initially similar, but after 1 year, levels increased in girls with higher TBF, plateaued in girls with midrange TBF, and decreased in girls with lower TBF. Girls with higher TBF progressed through BMORPH stage D more slowly but achieved menarche earlier than girls with lower TBF.

Conclusion: In late puberty, girls with higher TBF demonstrate differences in standard hormonal and clinical markers of puberty. Investigation of the underlying causes and clinical consequences of these differences in girls with higher TBF deserves further study.

Citing Articles

Small for gestational age and age at menarche in a contemporary population-based U.S. sample.

Sabu S, Corman H, Noonan K, Reichman N, Kuhn K, Radovick S PLoS One. 2024; 19(9):e0309363.

PMID: 39240976 PMC: 11379201. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309363.

Association between body fat distribution and age at menarche: a two sample Mendelian randomization study.

Xue P, Wang D, Chen Y, Tang J, Chen Y, Mei H Front Pediatr. 2024; 12:1349670.

PMID: 38650991 PMC: 11033318. DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1349670.

Creatine Acts as a Mediator of the Causal Effect of Obesity on Puberty Onset in Girls: Evidence from Mediation Mendelian Randomization Study.

Jin C, Zhao G Metabolites. 2024; 14(3).

PMID: 38535297 PMC: 10971908. DOI: 10.3390/metabo14030137.

Epigenetic age acceleration is associated with speed of pubertal growth but not age of pubertal onset.

Kim C, Harrall K, Glueck D, Hockett C, Dabelea D Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):2981.

PMID: 38316849 PMC: 10844280. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53508-z.

Pubertal Girls With Overweight/Obesity Have Higher Androgen Levels-Can Metabolomics Tell us Why?.

Calvert M, Molsberry S, Overdahl K, Jarmusch A, Shaw N J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023; 109(5):1328-1333.

PMID: 37978828 PMC: 11031235. DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgad675.

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