The complex interaction between obesity and puberty and its implications for pubertal timing: a review of recent...

The childhood and adolescent obesity epidemic remains one of the most important and challenging health issues of the 21st century. Excess body weight affects the immediate health of children and adolescents, being associated with a higher and earlier risk of several non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to adverse psychosocial consequences and impacts on pubertal timing. Evidence dating back to the past century points to a secular trend of earlier puberty in boys and girls in various parts of the world, and this earlier onset has been attributed, at least in part, to obesity, especially in girls. In boys, this relationship is not as linear. Moreover, despite some contradictory results, most recent evidence points to earlier puberty also being associated with an excess of body weight in boys. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain this possible relationship between puberty onset and obesity. However, the most promising link in this connection is leptin and its interaction with the kisspeptin system, in addition to an important contribution from insulin, which is frequently increased in obesity. The gut microbiota is implicated in the pathophysiology of obesity, which, in turn, is commonly associated with insulin resistance and the development of central precocious puberty, particularly in females. This review summarizes current knowledge on the relationship between obesity and the onset and progression of puberty in both sexes, as well as the pathways potentially involved in the pathophysiology of this association.