The obese boys are in danger, say the Chilean scientists who proved that the too high body mass index makes the young organism enter puberty too early. As ScienceDaily reported, the excess belly fat associated with greater odds of starting puberty before age nine.
Both boys and girls go through puberty early if they have obesity, said the recent research by researchers from the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. On Sunday, the study was presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting took place in New Orleans.
Obesity becomes the increasing problem for all the world, according to Chilean endocrinologists. In 527 Chilean boys ages 4 to 7 years, both total body obesity and central obesity, or excess belly fat, were associated with higher risk of starting puberty before age 9. According to the lead researcher, professor Maria Veronica Mericq from Santiago University, Chile, childhood obesity definitely linked to the early puberty in boys.
Early puberty, or precocious puberty, brings a lot of problem in every sphere of life, and the stunted growth and emotional-social problems are just a few of them. The Hormone Health Network added that boys meet early puberty much harder than girls.
in the frame of research, the puberty was considered precocious using a standard measure for boys: testicle growth (larger than 3 cubic cm) before age 9. To determine central obesity, researchers measured boy’s waistline. Professor Mericq’s team calculated that the prevalence of total obesity increased with age, from 22 percent of boys ages 6 to 7 years to 28.6 percent at 11.4 years, the average age at onset of puberty for this group. Central obesity also increased in that timeframe, from 11.8 percent to 17.4 percent.
“Early puberty might increase the risk of behavior problems and in boys could be related to a higher incidence of testicular cancer in adulthood,” Mericq said. “Our results suggest that controlling the obesity epidemic in children could be useful in decreasing these risks.”
