Retrospective longitudinal analysis of the effects of postnatal weight gain on the timing and tempo of puberty and menarche in a cohort of Italian girls

Ferrari, Vittorio; Stefanucci, S.; Ferrari, Marta; Ciofi, Daniele; Stagi, Stefano; Milanesi, Antonio; Cecchi, Rossana; Fiore, Rosalba; Pierattelli, Monica; Pittari, Angela Maria; Chiccoli, Antonina; Becherucci, Paolo; Cova, Anna; Guidotti, Tiziana; Balzer, Elena; Citino, Giovanni Scipione Gaetano; Bagni, Paolo; Guarnieri, Marzia; Pecchioli, Roberto; Ascani, Lara; Matteoni, Donatella; Beacci, Patrizia; Lelli, Vanda; Breschi, Cecilia; Fantacci, Cristina; Simone, Anna De; Gabbrielli, Manuela

doi:10.1186/s13052-022-01222-9

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In the last decade, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity among children and adolescents aged 10-19 years raised significantly to 27-28% and 9-10%, respectively ( 20 ). Lower AAM in obese/overweight girls and remarkable negative correlation of BMI and AAM in our study supports the major influence of obesity on the tempo of puberty, as shown by several others ( 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Decline in the Age of Menarche in Istanbul Schoolgirls Over the Last 12 Years

Güran¹,

Helvacioglu²,

Tosun³

et al. 2023

Jcrpe

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Objective: Menarche is the endpoint of a sequence of maturational events of female puberty. The timing of menarche is a strongly heritable trait. However, secular trends suggest that lifestyle and environmental factors are important. To assess the trend in age at menarche (AAM), and its associated factors in İstanbul over the last 12 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between March and April 2022 on schoolgirls aged 9-18 years. A predesigned and self-administered questionnaire was filled out anonymously by the students. The data of AAM was included in the statistical analysis if the time of AAM is remembered in both months and years. A probit model was used to calculate the median AAM. The findings were compared with those from a study performed 12 years ago in the same region of İstanbul. Results: Among 9000 girls to whom the questionnaire was distributed, 1749 (19.5%) responded. The median AAM of 1374 girls whose AAM information was considered valid was 12.04 years (95% confidence interval: 12.01-12.13), 0.7 years lower than was reported 12 years ago (p<0.0001). AAM was correlated positively with maternal AAM, and negatively with body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score and maternal educational status (p<0.0001, p<0.0001 and p=0.002), respectively. There was no correlation between the AAM and birth weight. Girls with BMI percentile ≥85% (n=251) had earlier menarche than the ones with BMI percentile <85% (n=1072) (11.5 vs. 12.1 years, p<0.0001). Among the mother-daughter pairs (n=1162), AAM of girls was 0.91 years (median 0.94 years) earlier than their mothers. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates a significant downward trend in the menarcheal age in İstanbul over the last twelve years. These findings support a strong contribution from genetic factors and BMI on AAM.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Decline in the Age of Menarche in Istanbul Schoolgirls Over the Last 12 Years

Güran¹,

Helvacioglu²,

Tosun³

et al. 2023

Jcrpe

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“…It has been suggested that obesity may contribute to an early onset of AAM but the causal association of early menarche with obesity is still disputed in the literature [ 22 ]). While some studies claim that the age of pubertal onset is correlated with BMI [ 11 , 47 ], other studies found no correlation between these variables [ 48 , 49 , 50 ], as we confirmed in this study, or interpreted the increased adiposity as a consequence of sexual maturation in precocious girls [ 48 , 51 ]. According to studies conducted in the US by Lee et al [ 52 ], obesity would simply favor an earlier onset of breast development but not the progression through the later stages of puberty.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…The age of sexual maturation seems to have stabilized in the majority of developed countries since at least the 1990s [ 2 , 7 ]. However, taking into account environmental influences (particularly overeating and a sedentary lifestyle), a negative relationship between adiposity indices and the timing of menarche was found: AAM decreases as adiposity increases [ 11 ]. Thus, given the close relationships between nutritional status and the reproductive system, an important issue requiring further investigation is whether the ongoing epidemic of childhood obesity [ 12 , 13 ] will persist in population trends toward the earlier onset of female puberty.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age at Menarche, Growth Velocity, and Adiposity Indices in Italian Girls Aged 10 to 14

et al. 2022

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Age at menarche (AAM) is an effective marker of puberty timing but its onset could be influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study aimed to assess the AAM in a sample of Italian adolescents and to investigate its association with anthropometric variables. Considering the rise in overweight/obesity worldwide, special attention was paid to a possible decrease in AAM as adiposity indices increase. A longitudinal study was carried out on 117 middle school girls in Northern Italy. Data concerning menarche and anthropometric traits (standing and sitting height, weight, waist circumference, and skinfold thicknesses) were directly collected. Lower limb length and indices of adiposity and growth were calculated. The median AAM was 11.66 (95% IC: 11.31–11.68). Age-adjusted ANCOVA between mature and non-mature girls showed significant differences in growth-related traits and WHtR. No preponderance of overweight/obesity among mature participants was found. AAM was not significantly associated with weight or the growth velocity of adiposity indices in a subsample of maturers. Moreover, the median AAM of our sample was similar to that found in women born about 60 years ago in the same region. In conclusion, in addition to a stabilization of AAM since the 1960s, our results suggest that there is no significant correlation between increased adiposity and early AAM.

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“…Menarche is commonly used to measure girls' pubertal development. Some authors ( 28 , 29 ) suggested that a higher BMI in childhood is related to an earlier age of menarche. A retrospective longitudinal cohort study in Italy ( 27 ) showed that the variation in BMI between age at thelarche and menarche and the Z-score change between body weight (BW) and BMI at thelarche has a relationship with the pubertal tempo, suggesting that early weight increase between BW and BMI at thelarche also influences the duration of puberty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of the trajectory of obesity indicators on the age of pubertal onset and pubertal tempo in girls: A longitudinal study in Chongqing, China

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the influence of the trajectory of obesity indicators on the onset age of different pubertal development characteristics and pubertal tempo among girls.MethodsOur longitudinal cohort study recruited 734 girls at baseline in May 2014 from a district of Chongqing and followed them at 6-month intervals. Data were available from baseline to the 14th follow-up with a full record of height, weight, waist circumference (WC), breast development, pubic hair, and armpit hair development, as well as the age of menarche. The Group-Based Trajectory Model (GBTM) was fitted for the optimum trajectory of the body mass index (BMI), WC, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of girls before the pubertal onset and menarche. The ANOVA and multiple linear regression model were conducted to analyze the influence of the trajectory of obesity indicators on the onset age of different pubertal development characteristics and pubertal tempo in girls.ResultsCompared with the healthy (gradual BMI increase) group before pubertal onset, the overweight (persistent BMI increase) group has an earlier onset age of breast development (B: −0.331, 95%CI: −0.515, −0.147) and pubic hair development (B: −0.341, 95%CI: −0.546, −0.136). The B2–B5 development time was shorter in girls in the overweight (persistent BMI increase) group (B: −0.568, 95%CI: −0.831, −0.305) and the obese (rapid BMI increase) group (B: −0.328, 95%CI: −0.524, −0.132). The age of menarche was earlier, and the B2–B5 development time was shorter in girls in the overweight (persistent BMI increase) group than in girls in the healthy (gradual BMI increase) group before menarche (B: −0.276, 95%CI: −0.406, −0.146; B: −0.263, 95%CI: −0.403, −0.123). Girls with high WC (rapid WC increase) before menarche had an earlier age of menarche than normal WC (gradual WC increase) (B: −0.154, 95%CI: −0.301, −0.006), and the B2–B5 development time was shorter in girls in the overweight (gradual WHtR increase) group than in girls in the healthy (persistent WHtR increase) (B: −0.278, 95%CI: −0.529, −0.027) group.ConclusionAmong girls, overweight and obesity (BMI scale) before pubertal onset can not only influence pubertal onset age but also accelerate B2–B5 pubertal tempo. Overweight (BMI scale) and high WC before menarche also have an impact on the age of menarche. Overweight (WHtR scale) before menarche is significantly associated with B2–B5 pubertal tempo.

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Retrospective longitudinal analysis of the effects of postnatal weight gain on the timing and tempo of puberty and menarche in a cohort of Italian girls

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Decline in the Age of Menarche in Istanbul Schoolgirls Over the Last 12 Years

Decline in the Age of Menarche in Istanbul Schoolgirls Over the Last 12 Years

Age at Menarche, Growth Velocity, and Adiposity Indices in Italian Girls Aged 10 to 14

The influence of the trajectory of obesity indicators on the age of pubertal onset and pubertal tempo in girls: A longitudinal study in Chongqing, China

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