“…These findings have become a matter of intense debate and concern due to the association of earlier ages at puberty with increased prevalence of childhood obesity and adverse consequences in adult life ( Ahmed et al., 2009 ; Biro et al., 2006 ; Burt Solorzano and McCartney, 2010 ; Ong et al., 2006 ; Shalitin and Kiess, 2017 ; Walvoord, 2010 ). Premature pubertal development in girls is associated with a series of adult morbidities including breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity ( Berkey et al., 1999 ; Cheng et al., 2020 ; Day et al., 2015 , 2017 ; Lakshman et al., 2008 ; Petridou et al., 1996 ; Petry et al., 2018 ). The molecular mechanisms and the cross talk between metabolism and pubertal development are not fully understood, but tissue- and/or cell-specific genome-wide association studies (GTEx, GWAS projects) have identified the brain as the main site of genetic enrichment of transcripts with roles in age at menarche and/or obesity susceptibility ( Day et al., 2017 ; Locke et al., 2015 ).…”