OBJECTIVE: To explain why adrenal androgens rise with increasing adiposity during childhood, the role of body mass index (BMI), leptin and IGF-I was studied. We also tested whether these parameters contribute to inducing premature adrenarche (PA). DESIGN: In a cross-sectional study, 26 prepubertal obese children were compared with a group of 26 prepubertal children of normal weight, and 30 children under observation for PA were compared with 30 healthy children, matched for gender, bone age and BMI. METHODS: Relative contributions of BMI standard deviation scores (SDS) and height SDS, as well as unbound leptin and IGF-I, to the levels of androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and Delta4-androstenedione (AD) were investigated by means of stepwise regression models. Logarithms of all hormones were standardised for age using residuals of a simple regression analysis, labelled by the suffix '(res)'. RESULTS: In the obese children, height SDS, IGF-I(res,) DHEAS(res) (all P<0.05), leptin(res) (P<0.01), and AD(res) (P=0.07) were higher than in the controls, and covariates were correlated with each other (leptin(res) versus BMI SDS r=0.71, IGF-I(res) versus height SDS r=0.61). In the stepwise regression analysis of control and obese children, BMI SDS explained 26% and leptin(res) explained 12% of the variability of DHEAS(res), but this percentage remained at 26% when both variables were simultaneously introduced into the model. In contrast, IGF-I(res) and BMI SDS alone each accounted for 15% of the variability of AD, and their joint influence accumulated to explain 28% of the variability of AD(res). In PA, neither BMI SDS nor leptin(res) were correlated with the increased androgens. CONCLUSION: Before the onset of gonadal activity in obese and control children, DHEAS levels, to some extent, are explained by BMI and leptin, while IGF-I in addition to BMI in part accounts for AD levels. Enhanced adrenal androgen secretion in children with PA, however, may be explained by parameters other than leptin or BMI.
OBJECTIVE: To explain why adrenal androgens rise with increasing adiposity during childhood, the role of body mass index (BMI), leptin and IGF-I was studied. We also tested whether these parameters contribute to inducing premature adrenarche (PA). DESIGN: In a cross-sectional study, 26 prepubertal obesechildren were compared with a group of 26 prepubertal children of normal weight, and 30 children under observation for PA were compared with 30 healthy children, matched for gender, bone age and BMI. METHODS: Relative contributions of BMI standard deviation scores (SDS) and height SDS, as well as unbound leptin and IGF-I, to the levels of androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and Delta4-androstenedione (AD) were investigated by means of stepwise regression models. Logarithms of all hormones were standardised for age using residuals of a simple regression analysis, labelled by the suffix '(res)'. RESULTS: In the obesechildren, height SDS, IGF-I(res,) DHEAS(res) (all P<0.05), leptin(res) (P<0.01), and AD(res) (P=0.07) were higher than in the controls, and covariates were correlated with each other (leptin(res) versus BMI SDS r=0.71, IGF-I(res) versus height SDS r=0.61). In the stepwise regression analysis of control and obesechildren, BMI SDS explained 26% and leptin(res) explained 12% of the variability of DHEAS(res), but this percentage remained at 26% when both variables were simultaneously introduced into the model. In contrast, IGF-I(res) and BMI SDS alone each accounted for 15% of the variability of AD, and their joint influence accumulated to explain 28% of the variability of AD(res). In PA, neither BMI SDS nor leptin(res) were correlated with the increased androgens. CONCLUSION: Before the onset of gonadal activity in obese and control children, DHEAS levels, to some extent, are explained by BMI and leptin, while IGF-I in addition to BMI in part accounts for AD levels. Enhanced adrenal androgen secretion in children with PA, however, may be explained by parameters other than leptin or BMI.
Authors: Christopher R McCartney; Susan K Blank; Kathleen A Prendergast; Sandhya Chhabra; Christine A Eagleson; Kristin D Helm; Richard Yoo; R Jeffrey Chang; Carol M Foster; Sonia Caprio; John C Marshall Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2006-11-21 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: Cornelis J de Groot; Adriaan van den Berg; Bart E P B Ballieux; Herman M Kroon; Edmond H H M Rings; Jan M Wit; Erica L T van den Akker Journal: Horm Res Paediatr Date: 2017-03-31 Impact factor: 2.852
Authors: Aviva B Sopher; Amy M Jean; Sarah K Zwany; Diana M Winston; Christy B Pomeranz; Jennifer J Bell; Donald J McMahon; Abeer Hassoun; Ilene Fennoy; Sharon E Oberfield Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2011-02-10 Impact factor: 5.002
Authors: E Erhardt; R Foraita; I Pigeot; G Barba; T Veidebaum; M Tornaritis; N Michels; G Eiben; W Ahrens; L A Moreno; E Kovács; D Molnár Journal: Int J Obes (Lond) Date: 2014-09 Impact factor: 5.095
Authors: Lorah D Dorn; Susan R Rose; Deborah Rotenstein; Elizabeth J Susman; Bin Huang; Tammy L Loucks; Sarah L Berga Journal: J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab Date: 2008-05 Impact factor: 1.634
Authors: M Ehrhart-Bornstein; V Lamounier-Zepter; A Schraven; J Langenbach; H S Willenberg; A Barthel; H Hauner; S M McCann; W A Scherbaum; S R Bornstein Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2003-11-12 Impact factor: 11.205