Abstract
BackgroundObesity is associated with many chronic diseases including cortisol rhythm disorder and low testosterone. Furthermore, studies on obese children are quite limited and no concordance results have been obtained, especially for boys in puberty. Moreover, the sample sizes of previous studies were small, and were not representative.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey including 1148 boys aged 6–14 years, they were divided into overweight/obesity (OW/OB) group and normal weight (NW) group. Puberty status was assessed according to Tanner scale and testicular volume. Serum levels of pregnenolone, 17-OH progesterone, corticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and androstenedione were detected by LC-MS. Serum free testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay.ResultsThe 17-OH progesterone, DHEA, androstenedione and free testosterone levels of OW/OB boys at prepubertal stage or at the age 6 = < 10 years group were higher than those of the NW boys (all the P values were < 0.01). Furthermore, androstenedione and free testosterone levels were lower in OW/OB boys at late puberty, and the trend continued at the post pubertal stage for FT (P < 0.01–0.05). DHEA, androstenedione, and FT levels persisted to be higher at the 10~ < 12 years in OW/OB boys but not for 17-OH progesterone. FT level was lower in the OW/OB group at the 12~ < 15 years group. The SHBG levels in the OW/OB boys were lower than those in the NW ones at the 6~12 years group, and prepubertal to early pubertal stage.ConclusionsPremature adrenarche is more likely in OW/OB boys. More attention should be given to the lower androgen levels of OW/OB boys at late pubertal and post pubertal stages.
Highlights
Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases including cortisol rhythm disorder and low testosterone
Limited studies have been performed on steroid hormones in OB children, and no concordance results have been obtained to date, studies on steroid levels in OB children have shown that Total testosterone (TT) levels in prepubertal OB boys were higher than [10, 11], or lower
Limited studies concerned about free testosterone (FT) in obese children [14, 15, 17], and showed FT was higher than normal children before pubertal onset and at early pubertal stage, similar FT at mid and late puberty stage, lower at post pubertal stage than normal children [17].The only study conducted on glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid in adolescent OB children revealed that 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol and corticosterone levels were elevated, but declined once body weight was reduced [11]
Summary
Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases including cortisol rhythm disorder and low testosterone. Limited studies concerned about FT in obese children [14, 15, 17], and showed FT was higher than normal children before pubertal onset and at early pubertal stage, similar FT at mid and late puberty stage, lower at post pubertal stage than normal children [17].The only study conducted on glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid in adolescent OB children revealed that 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol and corticosterone levels were elevated, but declined once body weight was reduced [11] These results suggested obesity in childhood could result in elevated steroid hormones (i.e. cortical hyperfunction). We hypothesized that obese prepubertal boys have higher androgen hormones (FT, DHEA, androstenedione), late pubertal boys have lower androgen hormones concentrations as compared to lean boys
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