The impact of obesity on hyperandrogenemia in Korean girls

Pubertal Girls With Overweight/Obesity Have Higher Androgen Levels-Can Metabolomics Tell us Why?

CONTEXT

Pubertal girls with higher total body fat (TBF) demonstrate higher androgen levels. The cause of this association is unknown but is hypothesized to relate to insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to investigate the association between higher TBF and higher androgens in pubertal girls using untargeted metabolomics.

METHODS

Serum androgens were determined using a quantitative mass spectrometry (MS)-based assay. Metabolomic samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography high-resolution MS. Associations between TBF or body mass index (BMI) z score (exposure) and metabolomic features (outcome) and between metabolomic features (exposure) and serum hormones (outcome) were examined using gaussian generalized estimating equation models with the outcome lagged by one study visit. Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P values were calculated to account for multiple testing. RaMP-DB (relational database of metabolomic pathways) was used to conduct enriched pathway analyses among features nominally associated with body composition or hormones.

RESULTS

Sixty-six pubertal, premenarchal girls (aged 10.9 ± 1.39 SD years; 60% White, 24% Black, 16% other; 63% normal weight, 37% overweight/obese) contributed an average of 2.29 blood samples. BMI and TBF were negatively associated with most features including raffinose (a plant trisaccharide) and several bile acids. For BMI, RaMP-DB identified many enriched pathways related to bile acids. Androstenedione also showed strong negative associations with raffinose and bile acids.

CONCLUSION

Metabolomic analyses of samples from pubertal girls did not identify an insulin resistance signature to explain the association between higher TBF and androgens. Instead, we identified potential novel signaling pathways that may involve raffinose or bile acid action at the adrenal gland.

The effects of obesity on the menstrual cycle

The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity has significantly increased in the United States and worldwide since the 1970s, a trend that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The complications of obesity range from negative effects on the cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatobiliary, and musculoskeletal systems to higher rates of mental health conditions such as depression and eating disorders among affected individuals. Among adolescent girls, childhood obesity has been associated with the earlier onset of puberty and menarche, which can result in negative psychosocial consequences, as well as adverse effects on physical health in adulthood. The hormones leptin, kisspeptin and insulin, and their actions on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, have been implicated in the relationship between childhood obesity and the earlier onset of puberty. Obesity in adolescence is also associated with greater menstrual cycle irregularity and the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can result in infrequent or absent menstrual periods, and heavy menstrual bleeding. Hyperandrogenism, higher testosterone and fasting insulin levels, and lower levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, similar to the laboratory findings seen in patients with PCOS, are also seen in individuals with obesity, and help to explain the overlap in phenotype between patients with obesity and those with PCOS. Finally, obesity has been associated with higher rates of premenstrual disorders, including premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and dysmenorrhea, although the data on dysmenorrhea appears to be mixed. Discussing healthy lifestyle changes and identifying and managing menstrual abnormalities in adolescents with obesity are key to reducing the obstetric and gynecologic complications of obesity in adulthood, including infertility, pregnancy complications, and endometrial cancer.

Hyper-androgenemia and obesity in early-pubertal girls

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to examine the hormonal profile in early-pubertal girls with obesity. We hypothesized that these patients might already present hormonal alterations with POCS-like features.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study in a sample of 283 peri-pubertal girls (prepubertal and early-puberty subgroups), aged 6.1-12.0 years, diagnosed with obesity (BMI-SDS > 2.0, 97th percentile), so-called obesity group. They all underwent clinical examination and blood testing for hormonal measurements (leptin, TSH, FT4, IGF-1, IGFBP3, prolactin, insulin, FSH, LH, estradiol, ACTH, cortisol, 17-OH-P, DHE-S, androstenedione, testosterone and free testosterone). A control group was recruited: 243 healthy girls, aged 6.3-12.1 years, with normal BMI status.

RESULTS

Prepubertal girls with obesity had significantly higher values (p < 0.05) for BMI-SDS, leptin, insulin and HOMA-IR levels than control group. Early-pubertal girls with obesity also had significantly higher values (p < 0.05) for BMI-SDS, leptin, IGF-1, IGFBP3, insulin and HOMA-IR, LH, ratio LH/FSH, ACTH, DHE-S, androstenedione, testosterone and free testosterone levels than control group. In early-pubertal girls with obesity (not prepubertal girls), there was a positive correlation (p < 0.01) between leptin levels with LH, androstenedione and testosterone, and HOMA-IR with LH and testosterone levels. There was also a positive correlation (p < 0.01) between IGF-1 levels with LH, androstenedione, DHE-S and testosterone; and LH levels with testosterone.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained support our hypothesis that an abnormal hormonal profile with POCS-like features can already be detected (insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, increased secretion of LH and ACTH, and overproduction of ovarian and adrenal androgens) in early-pubertal girls with obesity.

The role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons in polycystic ovary syndrome

Given the critical central role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in fertility, it is not surprising that the GnRH neural network is implicated in the pathology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common cause of anovulatory infertility. Although many symptoms of PCOS relate most proximately to ovarian dysfunction, the central reproductive neuroendocrine system ultimately drives ovarian function through its regulation of anterior pituitary gonadotropin release. The typical cyclical changes in frequency of GnRH release are often absent in women with PCOS, resulting in a persistent high-frequency drive promoting gonadotropin changes (i.e., relatively high luteinizing hormone and relatively low follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations) that contribute to ovarian hyperandrogenemia and ovulatory dysfunction. However, the specific mechanisms underpinning GnRH neuron dysfunction in PCOS remain unclear. Here, we summarize several preclinical and clinical studies that explore the causes of aberrant GnRH secretion in PCOS and the role of disordered GnRH secretion in PCOS pathophysiology.

Waist-to-height ratio as a clinical predictor for cardiovascular risks and insulin resistance in children and adolescents with exogenous obesity

Background

Obesity is one of the most challenging clinical syndromes associated with deleterious health problems. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a newer index for abdominal fat assessment, can be a superior tool in the evaluation of cardiometabolic risk. This study aimed to determine the relation between WHtR and lipid cardiovascular risk ratios and insulin resistance (IR) in children and adolescents with exogenous obesity.

Results

This analytical cross-sectional study included 80 children and adolescents with exogenous obesity, compared to 80 age- and sex-matched healthy non-overweight non-obese controls. Fasting lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)), fasting insulin, and fasting blood glucose were done and lipoprotein risk ratios were calculated; TC/HDL, LDL/HDL, non-HDL/HDL, and TG/HDL). In addition, homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA IR), triglyceride glucose index (TyG), TyG-BMI, and TyG-WC were calculated. The study group included 55 (34.4%) males and 105 (65.6%) females with a mean age of 13.6 ± 2.22 years. Obese group had significantly higher TC, TG, LDL, non-HDL, LDL/HDL, TC/HDL, non-HDL/HDL, and TG/HDL, with significantly lower HDL. In addition, they had significantly higher FBG, HOMA IR, TyG, TyG-BMI, and TyG-WC indices compared to the control group. There were statistically significant correlations between WHtR and lipid profile, lipid risk ratios and indices of IR. WHtR was found to be an independent predictor of IR by linear regression analysis.

Conclusion

WHtR can be an excellent, easy, and reliable clinical predictor for cardiovascular risk and IR in children and adolescents with exogenous obesity.

Clinical significance of serum gonadotropin and androgen levels among Egyptian overweight/obese pubertal girls

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the association between overweight/obesity with serum gonadotropin and androgen levels in Egyptian pubertal girls.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A case-control study carried out in "Obesity Clinic" of "Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism Pediatric Unit (DEMPU)", Pediatric Hospital, Cairo University. It included 40 overweight and obese girls and 40 age-matching normal weight (control) ones, aged 12-18 years. Anthropometric assessment (weight, height and hip and waist circumferences) was done, and waist/hip and BMI were calculated. Laboratory investigations: lipid profile, serum gonadotropin (LH, FSH), androgen (free and total testosterone), estradiol, insulin, and FBG were quantified, while insulin resistance (IR) was calculated.

RESULTS

Hypogonadotropins (FSH and LH) and hyperandrogenaemia (total and free testosterone) were significantly prominent among obese girls. Correlation between gonadotropin, androgen and all of the studied variables, for the three studied groups (obese, overweight and control) revealed constant relations. Gonadotropin and androgens showed opposing correlations. Gonadotropin had significant negativ e correlations with the anthropometric parameters of obesity (BMI, Waist C, and W/H ratio), insulin, insulin resistance and lipid profile (triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL), whereas androgens had significant positiv e ones. In addition, gonadotropin showed significant positiv e correlations with estradiol and HDL, while androgens showed significant negative ones.

CONCLUSIONS

Overweight/obesity had no effect on the correlations between gonadotropin and androgen on one side, with the anthropometric measurements and laboratory investigations on the other one. Alterations in androgen levels occur at earlier ages than gonadotropin, among both overweight and obese girls.

Longitudinal Investigation of Pubertal Milestones and Hormones as a Function of Body Fat in Girls

CONTEXT

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that overweight/obese girls (OW/OB) undergo thelarche and menarche earlier than normal weight girls (NW). There have been no longitudinal studies to specifically investigate how body weight/fat affects both clinical and biochemical pubertal markers in girls.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of total body fat on reproductive hormones and on the maturation of estrogen-sensitive tissues during puberty in girls.

METHODS

Ninety girls (36 OW/OB, 54 NW), aged 8.2 to 14.7 years, completed 2.8 ± 1.7 study visits over 4 years. Visits included dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to calculate total body fat (TBF), Tanner staging, breast ultrasound for morphological staging (BMORPH; A-E), pelvic ultrasound, hormone tests, and assessment of menarchal status. The effect of TBF on pubertal markers was determined using a mixed, multistate, or Cox proportional hazards model, controlling for baseline BMORPH.

RESULTS

NW were older than OW/OB (11.3 vs 10.2 years, P < .01) at baseline and had more advanced BMORPH (P < .01). Luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and ovarian and uterine volumes increased with time with no effect of TBF. There was a time × TBF interaction for follicle-stimulating hormone, inhibin B, estrone, total and free testosterone, and androstenedione: Levels were initially similar, but after 1 year, levels increased in girls with higher TBF, plateaued in girls with midrange TBF, and decreased in girls with lower TBF. Girls with higher TBF progressed through BMORPH stage D more slowly but achieved menarche earlier than girls with lower TBF.

CONCLUSION

In late puberty, girls with higher TBF demonstrate differences in standard hormonal and clinical markers of puberty. Investigation of the underlying causes and clinical consequences of these differences in girls with higher TBF deserves further study.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Ontogeny in Adolescence

The pathophysiology of symptomatic polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often unfolds across puberty, but the ontogeny of PCOS is difficult to study because, in general, its pathophysiology is well entrenched before the diagnosis can be confirmed. However, the study of high-risk groups (daughters of women with PCOS, girls with premature pubarche, and girls with obesity) can offer insight in this regard. Available data support the hypothesis that the pubertal development of PCOS involves various combinations of genetic predisposition, intrauterine programming, hyperinsulinism, and numerous other abnormalities that provoke reproductive symptoms (eg, hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction) in response to the pubertal increase in gonadotropin secretion.