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Meta-Analysis
. 2017 Oct 24;14(10):1266.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101266.

Association between Obesity and Puberty Timing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Wenyan Li  1 , Qin Liu  2 , Xu Deng  3 , Yiwen Chen  4 , Shudan Liu  5 , Mary Story  6   7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association between Obesity and Puberty Timing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Wenyan Li et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the associations between obesity and puberty timing based on scientific evidence. Eight electronic databases were searched up to February 2017 for eligible studies, and two reviewers screened the articles and extracted the data independently. A total of 11 cohort studies with 4841 subjects met the inclusion criteria. Compared with the group of normal-weight girls, the obese group had more girls with menarche (RR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.59-2.19, 2 studies). The number of girls with early puberty was significantly higher in the obese group than the normal weight group (RR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.32-4.52, 5 studies). However, no differences were detected between girls who were obese or normal weight at age of menarche (WMD: -0.53 years, 95% CI: -1.24-0.19, 2 studies). There is no consistent result in the relationship between obesity and timing of pubertal onset in boys. Obesity may contribute to early onset of puberty in girls, while in boys, there is insufficient data. Given the limited number of cohort studies included in this meta-analysis, high-quality studies with strong markers of puberty onset, as well as standardized criteria for defining obesity are needed.

Keywords: childhood obesity; meta-analysis; puberty timing; systematic reviews.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the literature search.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for the age at menarche between the obese and normal weight control girls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for number of girls with menarche between the obese group and control group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot for number of girls with early puberty between the obese group and control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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