| dc.description.abstract | Background: In low-birth-weight girls, obesity increases the risk of
premature adrenarche and metabolic complications. However, the
consistency of this association in normal-birth-weight children and
its potential mediators remain unknown.
Objectives: The objectives were to assess the associations between
obesity indicators and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) at
7 y of age and to evaluate the role of hormonal markers on these
associations.
Design: We assessed in 969 participants (6.9 y; 48% girls; all Tanner
I) in the Growth and Obesity Chilean Cohort Study the associations
between DHEAS and weight, BMI, waist circumference
(WC), waist-to-height ratio, skinfold thickness, and percentage total
fat (bioimpedance) and determined whether these associations were
related to insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and leptin.
We also compared BMI and height growth from 0 to 7 y of age in
nonobese and obese children with normal and high DHEAS ($75th
percentile) at 7 y.
Results: DHEAS concentrations were similar between girls (30.3 61.86
mg/dL) and boys (29.4 61.73 mg/dL) (P . 0.05); 17.3% of children
were obese (BMI-for-age z score $2 SD). Adiposity indicators were
positively and similarly associated with DHEAS [ie, BMI, b standardized
regression coefficient: 0.23 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.29); WC, b
standardized regression coefficient: 0.23 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.30)];
these associations were only partially related to IGF-I and leptin.
Obese children had twice the risk of high DHEAS (OR: 2.16; 95%
CI: 1.51, 3.09); at 7 y, obese children with high DHEAS were fatter
and more centrally obese than their counterparts (P , 0.05), although
their previous growth was similar (P . 0.05). None of the
results differed by sex (P . 0.05).
Conclusion: In children of normal birth weight, obesity is positively
associated with DHEAS at 7 y of age. | |
