Persistent weight gain between 0 and 4 years of age is associated with higher dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels at 7 years old: Data from the Generation XXI birth cohort

Abstract

Objective To assess the influence of longitudinal weight gain from 0 to 4 years old on dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels at 7 years old. Design DHEAS levels were measured at 7 years old in a subsample of 587 children from the Generation XXI birth cohort. Weight trajectories (0–4 years of age) were identified using model‐based clustering and categorized as “normal weight gain,” “weight gain during infancy,” “weight gain during childhood” and “persistent weight gain.” Measurements Differences in DHEAS levels at age 7 between the four weight trajectories were analysed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusted for birth weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI). Results In the crude analysis, compared with the “normal weight gain” trajectory (5.53 (95% CI: 5.10–5.98] µmol/L), DHEAS levels were significantly higher in children in the “persistent weight gain” (8.75 [95% CI: 7.23–10.49] µmol/L, p < .001] and in children in the “weight gain during infancy” trajectories (7.68 [95% CI: 6.22–9.49] µmol/L, p = .021] and marginally significantly higher in children in the “weight gain during childhood” trajectory (6.89 (95% CI: 5.98–8.00) µmol/L; p = .052). In BW‐ and BMI‐adjusted model, a statistically significant difference in DHEAS levels was found between the “persistent weight gain” (7.93 [95% CI: 6.43–9.86] µmol/L) and the “normal weight gain” trajectories ([5.75 [95% CI: 5.32–6.23] µmol/L; p = .039). Conclusion Higher DHEAS levels are found in 7‐year‐old children following a trajectory of persistent weight gain from 0 to 4 years, independently of their BW or current BMI, highlighting the impact of exposure to overweight in the first years of life on prepubertal adrenal androgen production.

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels at 7 years old are positively associated with more advanced pubertal development between 10 and 13 years old in girls

“…From those that attended the 7-year-old follow-up, 700 prepubescent children were randomly selected and their DHEAS levels were measured, as part of a study on adrenarche. 8,9 Among those 700 prepubescent children, 603 (301 girls and 302 boys) were also assessed at the 10-and 13-year-old follow-up visits and were included in the present study. Included children were like the remaining cohort regarding sex distribution, birth weight, height and weight at 7 years old (data not shown).…”

“…Serum DHEAS concentrations are detectable already earlier in childhood, but a clearer rise in these levels is typically seen from 5 to 6 years of age onwards. Higher DHEAS levels in 6−8‐year‐old children have been associated with obesity and being born small for gestational age, especially if accompanied by rapid weight gain in the first years of life 5–9 …”

“…Higher DHEAS levels in 6−8-year-old children have been associated with obesity and being born small for gestational age, especially if accompanied by rapid weight gain in the first years of life. [5][6][7][8][9] Premature adrenarche (PA) refers to the concurrent presence of clinical signs of androgen action together with androgen levels above the prepubertal range, before 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys, occurring in the absence of central puberty, nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-producing tumours or exogenous source of androgens. 1,2 PA was classically considered a normal variant of puberty.…”

DHEAS and nutritional status among Sidama, Ngandu, and Aka children: Effects of cortisol and implications for adrenarche

“…Gonzales et al, 1994), as it may be an important indicator of eco‐cultural stressors during development. However, the majority of this research has been undertaken in industrialized societies where many children are overweight or obese (Corvalán et al, 2013; Liimatta et al, 2020; Ong et al, 2004; Santos‐Silva et al, 2022); there is a dearth of studies among subsistence‐level societies, limiting our understanding of how nutritional status intersects with life history patterning. In addition, cortisol has not been included in these previous examinations of nutritional status and DHEA/S.…”

“…This suggests that, like menarche or spermarche (Gluckman & Hanson, 2006), environmental factors may influence the patterning of DHEA/S production. For example, nutritional status, particularly body mass index (BMI) and/or adiposity, has been frequently posited as such a factor (Corvalán et al, 2013; Goddings et al, 2021; l'Allemand et al, 2002; Na et al, 2018; Remer & Manz, 1999; Santos‐Silva et al, 2022; Shi et al, 2009; cf. Gonzales et al, 1994), as it may be an important indicator of eco‐cultural stressors during development.…”