Effects of childhood obesity and related genetic factors on precocious puberty: protocol for a multi-center prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background Childhood obesity has important effects on the onset and development of puberty. Although a number of studies have confirmed the relationship between obesity and precocious puberty, little is known about the pleiotropic genes of obesity and precocious puberty and the interaction between genes and environment. There are four objectives: (1) to analyze the incidence of precocious puberty in the general population in China; (2) to verify the direct effect of obesity on children’s precocious puberty using a variety of methods; (3) to verify the effect of obesity and its risk gene polymorphism on precocious puberty in a prospective cohort study; and (4) to analyze the interaction effect of genes and environment on pubertal development. Methods We will conduct a multi-center prospective cohort study in three cities, which are selected in southern, central, and northern China, respectively. Primary schools in these cities will be selected by a stratified cluster random sampling method. Primary school students from grade 1 to grade 3 (6 to 10 years old) will be selected for the cohort with extensive baseline data collection, including assessment of pubertal development, family demographic information, early development, sleep pattern, dietary pattern, and physical activity. Participants will be followed up for at least three years, and long-term follow-up will depend on future funding. Discussion The findings of this multicenter prospective population-based cohort study may expand previous related puberty development research as well as provide important information on the mechanism of early puberty. Targeted interventions can also be developed to improve adolescent health problems related to puberty development based on the available evidence. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04113070, prospectively registered on October 2, 2019.

Dietary pattern and precocious puberty risk in Chinese girls: a case-control study

“…Another mechanism may be through the development of adiposity. Our study found that the obesity rate of the case group was higher than that of the control group, which reflected that obesity was a risk factor for precocious puberty and consistent with the previous research findings [ 37 – 39 ]. Childhood obesity is associated with early menarche [ 40 ], and the intake of some food (including hamburgers and hot dogs) in the red meat group was associated with children being overweight in this population [ 41 ].…”

Creatine Acts as a Mediator of the Causal Effect of Obesity on Puberty Onset in Girls: Evidence from Mediation Mendelian Randomization Study

“…Previous epidemiological studies and genetic evidence have consistently indicated a causal association between obesity in girls and earlier puberty onset [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Our study confirmed that childhood obesity and increased BMI contributed to a younger age of menarche and increased Tanner stage in girls, offering further support for these conclusions.…”

Clinical Management and Therapy of Precocious Puberty in the Sapienza University Pediatrics Hospital of Rome, Italy

“…In the suspicion of early sexual maturation, in kids presenting signs of secondary sexual development before the age of eight (females) or nin (males), the evaluation should begin with an accurate medical and familial history as shown in Figure 1 [22,34]. It is important to collect information regarding age of onset, rate of maturation of secondary sexual characteristics, exposure to exogenous sex steroids and the presence of neurological symptoms [10,14].…”