Obese girls start their periods faster, develop breasts slowly, get acne and have excessive hair

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How weight can affect puberty: obese girls are likely to start their periods faster, but develop breasts more slowly, study shows

  • The researchers studied 90 girls between the ages of 8 and 15, 36 of whom were obese
  • Previous studies have found that obese girls start puberty earlier
  • Obese girls had higher levels of key hormones than thin girls
  • Related to slow breast maturation, irregular periods, acne and excess body hair

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Obese girls approaching adolescence have high levels of hormones that can cause them to start their periods before their thinner counterparts, a new study found.

Overweight girls also have an increased risk of irregular menstrual cycles, delayed breast development, acne and excessive hair during puberty.

Previous research has also found that fatter young people start puberty earlier, but the new study is the first evidence of why this might be the case.

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Overweight girls are more likely to develop acne and excessive hair while going through puberty than their thinner counterparts, according to a study (stock)

Overweight girls are more likely to develop acne and excessive hair while going through puberty than their thinner counterparts, according to a study (stock)

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) studied 90 girls between the ages of 8 and 15, 36 were obese and 54 were “normal”.

They were monitored regularly for four years, with clinicians performing ultrasounds on the breasts and pelvic regions, as well as measuring hormone levels in the blood sample. Each girl also revealed when she had her first period.

“Girls with higher total body fat have shown higher levels of reproductive hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), inhibin B, and male hormones, such as testosterone,” said Dr. Natalie Shaw.

US research has found that girls who carry too much fat for puppies have different hormone levels during adolescence than someone who has the ideal weight (stock)

US research has found that girls who carry too much fat for puppies have different hormone levels during adolescence than someone who has the ideal weight (stock)

She adds that girls with higher levels of body fat, caused by a dual-energy X-ray (DXA) scan, were also younger during the first period and delayed breast maturation.

However, it was found that body fat and subsequently altered hormone levels do not have a visible impact on the development of the uterus and ovaries.

Dr Shaw adds: “The long-term consequences of these differences in puberty markers deserve further study.”

The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

A 2007 study looked at 354 girls through puberty and found that obese girls had an 80 chance of having their first period before the age of 12.

A correlation between weight and puberty has long been seen, but this was one of the first studies to show that weight probably caused early pubescence, not the other way around.

However, a 2017 study by Imperial College London found that girls who start puberty earlier are also more likely to be overweight as adults.

According to Dr. Dipender Gill, lead author of the Imperial study, this was evidence that early puberty causes obesity in adulthood.

Both Dr. Gill and Dr. Joyce Lee, lead author of the 2007 study from the University of Michigan, believe that they identified causation, the indication being obese while the child causes early puberty and this in turn causes obesity. in adulthood.

However, while the relationship had been established, exactly what caused it remained unknown.

OBESITY: ADULTS WITH A BMI OVER 30 ARE SEEN AS OBSERVED

Obesity is defined as an adult with a BMI of 30 or more.

The BMI of a healthy person – calculated by dividing the weight in kg by the height in meters, and the response by height again – is between 18.5 and 24.9.

In children, obesity is defined as the 95th percentile.

Percentiles compare young people with others of the same age.

For example, if a three-month-old baby is in the 40th percentile by weight, it means that 40% of three-month-olds weigh as much or less than that baby.

About 58% of women and 68% of men in the UK are overweight or obese.

The condition costs the NHS around £ 6.1 billion, out of its budget of around £ 124.7 billion, every year.

This is due to obesity which increases a person’s risk of a number of life-threatening conditions.

Such conditions include type 2 diabetes, which can cause kidney disease, blindness and even limb amputations.

Research suggests that at least one in six hospital beds in the UK is taken over by a diabetic patient.

Obesity also increases the risk of heart disease, which kills 315,000 people each year in the UK – making it the leading cause of death.

The transport of dangerous amounts of weight has also been linked to 12 different types of cancer.

This includes the breast, which affects one in eight women at some point in their lives.

Among children, research suggests that 70% of obese young people have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which puts them at risk for heart disease.

Obese children are also more likely to become obese adults.

And if children are overweight, their obesity in adulthood is often more severe.

One in five children starts school in the UK being overweight or obese, which increases to one in three until they are 10 years old.

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