Obesity causes puberty delay in boys

[joeblow]

Obesity causes puberty delay in boys
Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:54:15 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=1 ... id=3510210



A new study finds that unlike overweight girls, overweight boys may start puberty later than their normal-weight peers.

Previous studies had confirmed the link between higher body mass index (BMI) and earlier puberty in girls, adding that the hormone leptin, which increases in overweight individuals, is responsible for the condition.

According to the study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a similar hormone may postpone puberty in overweight boys.

It is possible that the hormone would convert male hormones into female ones in the fat tissue, setting back the process of puberty in boys.

Scientists, however, failed to provide a cutoff BMI or weight at which the risk of puberty delay increased for boys.

"With the epidemic of childhood obesity, there's concern this is going to have a negative effect on growth and development," said lead researcher Joyce Lee, stressing that more effective strategies should be established to fight the epidemic.

PKH/HGH
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