Obesity Women with early puberty become more obese

How does early puberty affect weight??

All parents know that puberty of adolescents can be a complicated and difficult time for all those affected. Some adolescents reach puberty earlier than others. Researchers found that early adolescent girls are more likely to become overweight than adults.

• When the period starts early in girls, they are more likely to become overweight than adults.
• Early onset puberty is a risk factor for obesity.
• An increased body weight in adolescence increases the likelihood of early obesity.

The researchers from Imperial College London found in their study that girls are more likely to become overweight later in life if they enter puberty early. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "International Journal of Obesity".

When girls reach puberty early, they are more likely to become overweight as adults. (Image: Creativa Images / fotolia.com)

Early puberty increases likelihood of obesity

Previous studies have already found a link between obesity and puberty. Of course, one risk factor for obesity is increased body weight. Such obesity, in turn, occurs when girls enter puberty early, the experts explain. However, the results may be influenced by situational factors such as ethnicity, economic background, educational attainment, and diet, making it difficult to determine whether early puberty or these other factors are the cause.

Early puberty is a risk factor for obesity in women

"Older studies have shown that there is an association, but we did not know if early adolescence caused adiposity in adulthood or was associated with it," explains study author Dr. Dipender Gill from Imperial College London in a press release. But now, the latest research has clearly shown that early puberty is a risk factor for overweight, with girls who have their first period earlier more likely to develop a higher body mass index (BMI). The current findings of the study help to unravel the complex external factors and provide insight into an underlying causal relationship. This shows that early puberty has a significant impact on the risk of obesity in a woman.

Genetic basis determines our life

For the investigation, the research team used genetic variants as a tool to investigate the effect of the onset of puberty. The genes in every cell of our body come from our parents. The result of this random confusion is then the genetic basis of the embryo, which determines factors such as hair color as well as the risk of certain diseases.

122 genetic variants were associated with early puberty

Using data from 182,416 women, scientists identified 122 genetic variants that were strongly associated with the onset of puberty, with women's age at the first period determined by a questionnaire. The team then analyzed the data from the UK Biobank, which contains biomedical information on hundreds of thousands of people and integrates physiological data with genetic sequence data and questionnaire responses. In particular, in a second group of 80,465 women from the UK biobank, for whom measurements of BMI were available, they looked for the effects of genetic variants related to age in menarche (first menstrual period) and BMI.

Results were checked several times

The first analysis revealed a link between these genetic variants and the BMI in those women who had gene variants associated with earlier puberty and had an increased BMI. The researchers examined this relationship in a third group of 70,962 women and found the same association there.

How does early puberty affect body weight??

The physicians have conducted a series of statistical sensitivity analyzes to test the reliability of the results. The results were confirmed, therefore the experts are convinced of the results of the investigation. According to the researchers, it remains unclear how earlier maturation directly affects body weight. Differences between physical and emotional maturity could play a role. The physical effects of hormonal changes during puberty, such as increased fat deposition in the breast tissue, could also lead to a stronger risk profile for higher BMI or obesity later in life, the authors suggest. (As)