| |
According to research, higher body fat may delay puberty in boys. So, it is an alarming bell for the obese and the overweight people. The related research was carried out by the researchers at University of Michigan (U-M).
The researchers observed that a higher body mass index (BMI) or height to weight ratio, during early and mid-childhood for boys is associated with delayed onset of puberty.
This is one of the first studies in the US to examine the association between weight status and timing of puberty in boys.
Lead researcher Joyce M. Lee said, "We found that increased body fat is associated with a later onset of puberty in boys, the opposite of what we have seen in girls, as heavier girls tend to develop earlier, rather than later." says U-M paediatric endocrinologist Joyce M. Lee, who led the study.
"Our study shows that the relationship between body fat and timing of puberty is not the same in boys as it is in girls," she says.
According to her, the study of the impact of overweight on the puberty has become important after the reports of two-fold increase in childhood obesity in the US during the past two decades.
"Although there have been a number of studies looking at the link between body fat and puberty in girls, few studies have been performed in boys. The results of our study suggest that excess weight may lead to a later onset of puberty in boys," Lee adds.
She also says, "Our findings have important implications for understanding sex differences in physiological mechanisms of puberty."
Lee and her team studied the effect on 401 boys, who were from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in 10 regions of the US using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.
These findings have been published in the recent issue of the science journal ‘Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine’.
