Abstract
Around 370 million children worldwide are overweight or obese [DiCesare], which poses a serious threat to global health perspective. Obesity is a disease, which means that once obese, the biological systems change to a different setpoint which makes losing weight with lifestyle intervention only very difficult. We know that nutritional status is an important regulator of growth and puberty. This presentation will focus on the impact of obesity in children on growth and puberty. BMI gain as well as obesity are related to an increased height gain during childhood and taller stature. However, not at birth or at 18 years. One of the explanations is that obese children stop growing earlier because they have an advanced bone age. Several hormones are suggested as possible mediators for this effect on growth and bone age: insulin, leptin or sex steroids like androgens or estrogens. No definite candidate has been identified yet, but both leptin and estrogen are important hormones in activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat tissue. It informs the brain on the body’s energy storage. When there is too little, the body will not enter puberty, which costs a lot of energy. Estrogen is produces by gonads, but also by adipose tissue by aromatization of androgens into estrogens. Adrenal androgen levels are increased in children with obesity. Data from large cohort studies show that BMI and obesity are associated with early start of puberty, early pubarche and younger age of menarche. Physicians treating children and adolescents need to bear in mind that childhood obesity is associated with alterations in growth and pubertal development [ 1 Di Cesare M. Sorić M. Bovet P. Miranda J.J. Bhutta Z. Stevens G.A. Laxmaiah A. et al. The epidemiological burden of obesity in childhood: a worldwide epidemic requiring urgent action. BMC Med. 2019; 17: 212 Crossref PubMed Scopus (269) Google Scholar , 2 de Groot C.J. van den Berg A. Ballieux B. Kroon H.M. Rings E.H.H.M. Wit J.M. et al. Determinants of advanced bone age in childhood obesity. Horm Res Paediatr. 2017; 87: 254-263 Crossref PubMed Scopus (21) Google Scholar , 3 He Q. Karlberg J. Bmi in childhood and its association with height gain, timing of puberty, and final height. Pediatr Res. 2001; 49 Crossref PubMed Scopus (319) Google Scholar , 4 Sørensen K. Mouritsen A. Aksglaede L. Hagen C.P. Mogensen S.S. Juul A. Recent secular trends in pubertal timing: implications for evaluation and diagnosis of precocious puberty. Horm Res Paediatr. 2012; 77: 137-145 Crossref PubMed Scopus (215) Google Scholar , 5 Eckert-Lind C. Busch A.S. Petersen J.H. Biro F.M. Butler G. Bräuner E.V. Juul A. Worldwide secular trends in age at pubertal onset assessed by breast development among girls: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2020; 174: e195881 Crossref PubMed Scopus (84) Google Scholar ].
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
