Effects of Childhood Obesity on Puberty

Effects of Childhood Obesity on Puberty

Abstract

Obesity in children is a phenomenon attracting public health concern globally. The interaction of factors such as nutrition, energy balance, and hormones significantly impact on growth and regulation of puberty development. More often than not, obese and overweight children grow taller than is typical for individuals their age. Higher leptin and increased sex hormone levels evidenced in obese children may be responsible for hastened pubertal growth and epiphyseal growth plate maturation. This paper studies the effect of childhood obesity on pubertal development by examining obesity as a factor in the early onset of puberty among children and how this can be mitigated.

Growth  in obese children

Excess adipose tissue can impact the growth process and pubertal development. Childhood obesity is associated with accelerated linear growth at the prepuberty stage (Chung, 2017). Weight gain in early adulthood is, in most cases, followed by an increase in height as well as advancement in bone age. Research shows that skeletal growth and maturity in overweight people precedes linear growth acceleration (Chung, 2017). There is also a subsequent reduction in height velocity because of a lesser growth experienced at puberty. Most of the tall obese children have a final height reflecting their growth potential, although there is an abnormal growth in some instances resulting from the pathological process in childhood. Studies reveal that overweight or obese children are taller in early childhood but experience less increase in height during their teen years relative to teenagers with normal weight.

Studies show that obesity and the resulting large adipose tissue can adversely affect the secretion of hormones such as insulin and leptin and the body’s sensitivity to these hormones. Resistance to insulin and the consequent hyperinsulinemia as the body tries to compensate for the resistance contribute to early pubertal development in obese children. According to research, prepubertal obese children have increased adrenal androgens in the form of dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione.These are sex hormones produced during puberty (Chung, 2017). The children also have high levels of leptin hormone, which is responsible for the body’s skeletal growth. Therefore, increased androgens and leptin in prepubertal obese children can be held responsible for the early onset of adolescence in obese children..

Early-onset of puberty also referred to as precocious puberty, is, however, more evident in obese girls than boys with anorexic girls experiencing puberty at a later period. According to Salvador (2018), there is no relation between obesity and early onset of puberty in boys with most obese boys hitting puberty at a later stage than average. These findings are, however, conflicted by research carried out by the Endocrine Society (2020), which provided evidence that obese boys are victims of precocious puberty as much as obese girls, with 9% of obese boys experience early onset of puberty.

The debate on rates of precocious puberty among genders aside, early onset of puberty among obese children confers them with numerous physical, social, psychological, and emotional problems. For instance, early onset of puberty has been associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Such children are also at high risk of experiencing depression as their childhood is cut short, and they do not know how to deal with it. They are also susceptible to bullying from their peers who view them as outliers due to the difference in maturity wavelength. These children are also likely to have sex at an early age and take up substance abuse as a coping mechanism.

Preventing obesity and precocious puberty

To mitigate the onset of early puberty and its associated effects, parents should take measures to help their children maintain a healthy body weight. Some of the measures include regulating the amount of calorie intake by the child without excessively regulating their food uptake. This can be done by feeding them low-calorie foods. Parents and teachers should also encourage children to engage in regular physical activity and avoid habits such as too much TV that may result in a sedentary lifestyle. Parents should also clearly work with a pediatrician to monitor the child’s progress. It is important to note that although obesity is not the only factor responsible for precocious puberty with factors such as genetics also coming into play.

Conclusion

The effects of childhood obesity on puberty is a topic that is sparking extensive research in pediatric circles. The broader consensus, however, is that there is an early onset of puberty among obese children with the underlying mechanisms not being clearly understood. Most researchers associate this growth phenomenon with high leptin, insulin, and androgen hormones present in obese children compared to lean children with the average body weight. There is therefore need for extensive future research into the topic to determine the underlying causal agents of precocious puberty among obese children. Researchers also concur that precocious puberty can negatively impact the social, psychological, and emotional well-being of these children exposing them to early sexual behavior and substance abuse. There is thus a need for parents to mitigate the adverse effects of obese childhood on puberty by regulating the dietary behavior of the children.

References

Chung, S. (2017). Growth and Puberty in Obese Children and Implications of Body Composition. Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, 26(4), 243-250. doi:10.7570/jomes.2017.26.4.243

The Endocrine Society. (2020). Obesity speeds up the start of puberty in boys. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325080418.htm

Salvador, J. (2018). The Influence of Obesity on Puberty and Insulin Resistance in Mexican Children. International Journal of Endocrinology. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7067292