BMI relationship to the onset of puberty: assessment of growth parameters and sexual maturity changes in Egyptian children and adolescents of both sexes

Abstract

BackgroundPuberty is the period of human growth and development. To determine the onset of puberty with regards to the effect of higher adiposity, together with growth parameters of the participants at various stages of sexual maturity for both sexes.MethodsThe study was conducted on 1944 children (8–16) years; 1022 girls (52.6%) and 922 boys (47.4%) were taken at random. Pubertal assessment was done using Tanner staging that assigned breast development in females and pubic and axillary hair in males and females. Testicular volume was recorded using a Prader orchidometer. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body mass (BM) fat, body fat percentage, through applying a body impedance analyzer, and others were recorded.ResultsThe mean ages at the onset of puberty for females and males in our study were 10.29 ± 1.1 and 11.34 ± 1.02 years, respectively. Pubic hair (stage PH2) was attained at mean age of 10.72 ± 0.84 and 11.98 ± 1.03 years for females and males, respectively. For axillary hair (stage AH2), the mean age was 12.47 ± 0.68 years for females and 13.8 ± 0.58 years for males. The mean age at menarche was 12.41 ± 0.65 years. In concordance to BM fat and percentage, all pubertal stages started earlier in females with BMI ≥85th percentile comparable to females within average BMI. As for males, no significant relation was noted between mean pubertal ages and BMI values.ConclusionsA significant association of mean ages of Tanner stages to excess weight especially in females warranted the increasing awareness about health care, nutritional aspects, and living circumstances.

The Vitamin D Decrease in Children with Obesity Is Associated with the Development of Insulin Resistance during Puberty: The PUBMEP Study

“…In this sense, it has been shown that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency increases among older children [39,40], and puberty seems to influence this deficiency [4,41], probably due to the increased requirement of vitamin D for growth and bone turnover [14]. It is worth noting that puberty is marked by an increase in body weight, which is associated with IR and a reduction in serum 25(OH)D levels [17,[41][42][43]. However, previous studies found no associations between serum 25(OH)D and insulin parameters in prepubertal children [38,42].…”

The prevalence of precocious puberty among children in Qufu City, Shandong Province, China, a population-based study

“…(1) the case group met the diagnostic criteria of girls' precocious puberty, i.e., girls presented with secondary sexual signs at < 8 years old (Tanner stage ≥ II) or menarche at < 10 years old, or boys presented with secondary sexual signs at < 9 years old (17); and (2) girls or boys in the control group met the screening criteria of normal weight or obesity of girls or boys without precocious puberty aged 6-10 years. According to the Group of China Obesity Task Force BMI cutoff-point standard for obesity screening of girls aged 2-18 years old, the BMI of obese girls aged 7, 8, 9 years old is 18.8, 19.5, 20.4 kg/m 2 , the BMI of obese boys aged 7, 8, 9, 10 years old is 19.2, 20.1, 21.1, and 22.2 kg/m 2 , respectively (18).…”

Risk factors on testicular function in adolescents

“…Hispanics showed no significant differences in timing of puberty respect to weight while African American showed a trend of late puberty in obese [ 129 ]. Different results may be recorded depending on the observed population [ 137 , 138 ]. Finally, it is important to underline the effect of concomitant insulin resistance on pubertal development, which it’s not completely elucidated.…”