A Twin-Sibling Study on Early Growth and Hormone Levels in Adolescents

Abstract

This study addresses how growth during sensitive developmental periods and genes may affect hormone levels in late adolescence. We analyzed hormone levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which are hypothesized to be two pathways linking early growth with adult diseases (such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease) via their effects on enhanced insulin resistance. In a twin-sibling study, we tested whether there is an association between reduced intra-uterine growth and higher DHEAS or IGF-I levels in serum during adolescence, and we examined the contribution of insulin to the link between early growth and higher DHEAS and/or IGF-I levels. Anthropometric and hormone data were collected in 18-year-old twins (184 pairs) and their non-twin siblings (n = 98). Neither birth weight nor current body size predicted serum DHEAS and IGF-I levels. In the subsample of children who showed catch-up growth in weight during infancy, the children of lower birth weight had significantly higher serum DHEAS and IGF-I levels, but these were not related to insulin levels. Variation in serum DHEAS, IGF-I and fasting insulin levels was largely explained by genetic factors (73, 78 and 61 % respectively). Thus, early growth affects hormone levels in adolescence, but only in children with catch-up growth after birth. No evidence was found that early growth enhances insulin resistance via the hormones DHEAS or IGF-I.

Natural variation in fetal cortisol exposure is associated with neonatal body mass in captive vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

“…Thus the placenta rather than the fetus may be the target of the majority of DHEAS action during this time. Given research documenting a role of DHEAS in accelerated postnatal growth (Estourgie‐van Burk et al, ), it is possible that the effects of DHEAS on growth are greater during postnatal rather than prenatal life. Nevertheless, because data on non‐GC hormones and their potential effects of offspring prenatal development remain rare, we encourage more research on the potential role of DHEAS, particularly within the range of natural variation in maternal and fetal production.…”

“…The degree to which maternal and fetal DHEAS can together or independently drive fetal development is poorly understood, however, as there has been no prior research on transplacental passage of maternal‐origin DHEAS to the fetal compartment. Nevertheless, in humans, DHEAS has been implicated in faster postnatal growth in humans (Estourgie‐van Burk, Bartels, & Boomsma, ; Ibáñez, Potau, Marcos, & de Zegher, ). Yet DHEAS is also thought to have a number of anti‐GC properties, potentially counter‐acting GC‐mediated effects (Kalimi, Shafagoj, Loria, Padgett, & Regelson, ; Muller, Hennebert, & Morfin, ), including effects on growth.…”

Twin-Singleton Comparisons Across Multiple Domains of Life

“…Additional components of physical development have also been examined. While differences in growth hormone levels were seen, with average lower levels of DHEAS and IGF-I levels in twins compared to their siblings [26], male twins did not differ from their siblings in testis size [29] and female twins did not differ for age at menarche [8]. These results and those of previous studies indicate that twins, who are more often born after a shorter gestation period and weigh less at birth than their singleton siblings, remain somewhat shorter and lighter well into adulthood, but in other aspects develop in the same way as their siblings.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Gene-Hormone Interplay

“…For hormones, we know which specific genes code for the key components of hormonal systems, but we are largely ignorant of whether variation in those genes accounts for much of the observed phenotypic variation in hormone levels. Two papers in this Special Issue (Van Hulle, Moore, Shirtcliff, Lemery-Chalfant, and Goldsmith, 2015; Estourgie-van Burk, Bartels, Boomsma, 2015) present data on the heritabilities of hormone levels during adolescence and are thus filling critical gaps in the literature.…”