Anton Holmgren1,2, Gabriel Á Martos-Moreno3,4,5,6, Aimon Niklasson7, Julián Martínez-Villanueva3, Jesús Argente3,4,5,6,8, Kerstin Albertsson-Wikland9. 1. GP-GRC, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. anton.holmgren@regionhalland.se. 2. Department of Pediatrics, Halmstad Hospital, Halmstad, Sweden. anton.holmgren@regionhalland.se. 3. Departments of Pediatrics & Pediatric Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain. 4. Research Institute La Princesa, Madrid, Spain. 5. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. 6. Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 7. GP-GRC, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. 8. IMDEA Food Institute, Madrid, Spain. 9. Department of Physiology/Endocrinology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: At the population level, there is a negative linear correlation between childhood body mass index (BMI) and pubertal height gain. However, in children with obesity, there are no studies showing whether the severity of obesity affects pubertal height gain. Moreover, how obesity in childhood affects pubertal timing is controversial, especially in boys. We aimed to investigate the impact of severe obesity in childhood on the pubertal growth spurt in both sexes. METHODS: The study group consisted of 68 patients (32 boys) with childhood onset obesity followed in a Spanish university hospital. The QEPS growth model was used to calculate pubertal growth function estimates for each individual. The highest individual prepubertal BMI SDS value was related to the age at onset of pubertal growth and pubertal height gain. Results were compared to analyses from individuals in a community-based setting (n = 1901) with different weight status. RESULTS: A higher peak BMI in childhood was associated with less specific pubertal height gain in children with moderate-to-extreme obesity. For boys, the higher the BMI, the earlier the onset of pubertal growth. For girls with obesity, this correlation was not linear. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity in childhood impairs the pubertal growth spurt in a severity-related fashion. IMPACT: The higher the BMI in childhood, the lower the pubertal height gain in children with moderate-to-extreme obesity. For boys with obesity, the higher the BMI, the earlier the onset of pubertal growth. The results contribute to the research field of how weight status in childhood is related to pubertal timing and pubertal growth. The results have implications for understanding how childhood obesity is related to further growth.
BACKGROUND: At the population level, there is a negative linear correlation between childhood body mass index (BMI) and pubertal height gain. However, in children with obesity, there are no studies showing whether the severity of obesity affects pubertal height gain. Moreover, how obesity in childhood affects pubertal timing is controversial, especially in boys. We aimed to investigate the impact of severe obesity in childhood on the pubertal growth spurt in both sexes. METHODS: The study group consisted of 68 patients (32 boys) with childhood onset obesity followed in a Spanish university hospital. The QEPS growth model was used to calculate pubertal growth function estimates for each individual. The highest individual prepubertal BMI SDS value was related to the age at onset of pubertal growth and pubertal height gain. Results were compared to analyses from individuals in a community-based setting (n = 1901) with different weight status. RESULTS: A higher peak BMI in childhood was associated with less specific pubertal height gain in children with moderate-to-extreme obesity. For boys, the higher the BMI, the earlier the onset of pubertal growth. For girls with obesity, this correlation was not linear. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity in childhood impairs the pubertal growth spurt in a severity-related fashion. IMPACT: The higher the BMI in childhood, the lower the pubertal height gain in children with moderate-to-extreme obesity. For boys with obesity, the higher the BMI, the earlier the onset of pubertal growth. The results contribute to the research field of how weight status in childhood is related to pubertal timing and pubertal growth. The results have implications for understanding how childhood obesity is related to further growth.
Authors: J Argente; N Caballo; V Barrios; J Pozo; M T Muñoz; J A Chowen; M Hernández Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 1997-07 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: K Albertsson-Wikland; S Rosberg; B Lannering; L Dunkel; G Selstam; E Norjavaara Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 1997-02 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: Anton Holmgren; Aimon Niklasson; Andreas F M Nierop; Gary Butler; Kerstin Albertsson-Wikland Journal: Pediatr Res Date: 2021-11-03 Impact factor: 3.953