Early sexual maturity and obesity - Fitness - medical research - Brief Article

Early-sexually-maturing girls are more likely than other girls to be obese, while in boys, early developers are less likely to be obese than other males, according to University of Illinois at Chicago nutritional epidemiologist Youfa Wang. Although previous studies have suggested that sexual maturity is associated with obesity in females, little was known about the relationship in boys until now. The finding of a reverse association between sexual maturity and obesity in boys sheds new light upon this issue, providing additional evidence for the influence of sexual maturity on fatness.

Wang says that the gender differences observed in the association between sexual maturity and obesity are likely related to differences in biological development. In boys, for example, early developers were found to be significantly taller, but not heavier, than their average- or late-maturing counterparts. However, early sexual maturity in girls often was accompanied by increases in height and weight. "This suggests that sexual maturity might have different biological influences on growth in weight and height in boys and girls. During the growth process in boys, more energy may be devoted toward height than to the development of fat tissue, while early-maturing girls are more likely to store extra energy intake as fat tissue."

In a wealthy society like the U.S., attitudes and expectations toward body weight are different for females and males, Wang notes. Thinness is considered desirable and attractive for females; bigness and full musculature are considered attractive for males. These factors may contribute to differences in adolescents' eating behaviors, body images, and exercise patterns.

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