Childhood Obesity and Pubertal Development

Abstract

During the past decades, advancement in pubertal maturation in children has been noticed worldwide. Growing evidence indicates that increasing prevalence of obesity in children is a major factor for the secular trend of earlier puberty. In girls, several epidemiologic studies suggest that earlier pubertal onset and earlier menarche might be caused by obesity. On the other hand, in boys, few research reported an association between obesity and pubertal development, and the results are inconsistent; Some studies found a link between obesity and delayed puberty, but others reported a causal relationship between obesity and early puberty. To date, mechanisms linking childhood obesity and earlier puberty remain unclear. In this review, we presented the potential impact of obesity on puberty-related hormones and summarized human studies on potential relationship of childhood adiposity and pubertal development. (Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr 2012; 15: 151∼159)

Trend of Menarcheal Age among Korean Girls

“… 22 33 A possible mechanism for this association is the direct and indirect stimulation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone-gonadotropin axis by leptin produced from adipose tissue. 29 34 Notably, the increasing trend of early menarche in Korea was not limited to pubertal girls with high BMI, but also noted among normal and underweight pubertal girls. This result is consistent with our previous study showing the secular trend of an earlier pubertal growth spurt in Copenhagen children in all BMI categories, which was the most prominent among children in the obese category.…”

“…Many studies had shown a positive association between adiposity and early menarche in girls. 29 30 31 32 Previous cross-sectional studies demonstrated that a downward trend in the mean AAM had been accompanied by an increase in BMI in the pediatric populations from the US and China. 22 33 A possible mechanism for this association is the direct and indirect stimulation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone-gonadotropin axis by leptin produced from adipose tissue.…”

Changes in anthropometric indices among Korean school students based on the 2010 and 2018 Korea School Health Examination Surveys

“…11) Therefore, consistent with several previous epidemiological studies, our findings reflect the accelerated timing of puberty and the growth spurt among Korean school students in recent decades. 3,4,[11][12][13][14] The mean weight in 2018 was found to be significantly higher compared to 2010 in both sexes through all of the school grades, except for 1st-grade elementary school boys. This finding suggests that the rapid increase in the mean weight of the Korean pediatric population, which has been observed since the 1980s, continues into 2018.…”

Ongoing increasing trends in central precocious puberty incidence among Korean boys and girls from 2008 to 2020

“…Growing research suggests that the rising prevalence of childhood obesity is a key factor in the secular trend toward earlier puberty. Several population-based longitudinal studies suggested that earlier pubertal maturation might be linked with higher adiposity in both boys and girls from many countries, including Korea [ 35 ]. The average age of menarche among Korean girls has been reduced from 13.0 years old to 12.6 years old over the last decade, and this trend was particularly pronounced in girls with overweight.…”

“…The average age of menarche among Korean girls has been reduced from 13.0 years old to 12.6 years old over the last decade, and this trend was particularly pronounced in girls with overweight. Although the exact mechanisms remain to be elucidated, obesity-related hormonal changes including leptin and insulin resistance are speculated to contribute to early puberty [ 35 ]. It has been observed that obesity-related increases in circulating leptin activate hypothalamic Kiss 1 expression, which regulates GnRH pulse production and puberty onset [ 36 ].…”