Obesity Affects Sexual Maturity During Puberty in Boys: Study

A new study published in the journal "Pediatrics" shows how obesity and being overweight can affect puberty and sexual maturity among boys, Healthday reports.

Researchers have found that overweight boys are more likely to begin and finish puberty earlier than their normal weight counterparts, while obese boys take a longer time to go through puberty compared to normal weight boys.

For the study, researchers analyzed 3,872 boys aged six to 16 as they grew up, and tracked the onset of puberty be measuring bodily changes linked to the process of sexual maturity. They were also measured in terms of weight and categorized as overweight or obese based on the guidelines from the CDC. Boys who had a body mass index that fell into the obese category were the heaviest at 5% of the population of boys their age. Those who were overweight amounted to 85% to 95% of boys their age.

According to Medpage Today, results showed that both white and African-American boys who were overweight more likely entered puberty at a slightly earlier age compared to normal weight boys. Overweight white boys entered puberty at about 9.3 years old, compared to 10 years old for normal weight boys. Additionally, overweight white boys completed puberty sooner at 15.4 years old, compared to normal weight boys who completed puberty at 14.5 years of age.

Researchers claim that the female hormone estrogen may be the reason for the varied timing of the onset of puberty, because the hormone influences their development, and could also slow puberty. They also noted that when a person has excess fat in the body, there is also excess estrogen production.

"We found something we didn't expect, which is obese boys go later but overweight boys seem to go earlier. You would expect a linear relationship between weight and the timing of puberty, but we found that isn't the case," Dr. Joyce Lee, study author and associate professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Michigan, explained. "For overweight boys, maybe excess estrogen somehow stimulates development, but when you get to higher levels maybe it slows the process."

Obesity researcher Dr. Steven Heymsfield, however, stressed that parents should not be worried about the results of the study or the late or early onset of puberty in their sons, but be more concerned about the lifelong effects of obesity, which include heart disease, diabetes, and a string of other health problems.

Obesity currently affects about 18% of adolescents aged six to 11 years old and 21% of adolescents 12 to 19 years old in the United States alone, as per the CDC. Obesity has been a growing health problem both among children and adults, and health authorities continue to encourage the public to make steps towards better nutrition and food choices, and a healthier, more active lifestyle.