“Childhood Obesity Linked to Fertility Problems” Says New Report

“The issue of so many humans being obese is very recent in evolutionary terms, and since nutritional status is important to reproduction, metabolic syndromes caused by obesity may profoundly affect reproductive capacity," said lead author Patrick Chappell, an assistant professor of veterinary medicine at Oregon State University.

7 Aug 2012 --- Childhood obesity may accelerate puberty in girls and eventually lead to fertility problems, according to a new report published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.

“The issue of so many humans being obese is very recent in evolutionary terms, and since nutritional status is important to reproduction, metabolic syndromes caused by obesity may profoundly affect reproductive capacity," said lead author Patrick Chappell, an assistant professor of veterinary medicine at Oregon State University.

Chappell said while humans show natural variations in pubertal progression, the signals that control the timing are unclear. However, puberty appears to be starting earlier in girls, and it is being accelerated.

The researchers theorize obesity may have an impact on kisspeptin, a recently characterized neurohormone necessary for reproduction. Normal secretions of this hormone may be disrupted by endocrine signals from fat that serve to communicate to the brain. Another possible affect on pubertal timing, and reproduction in general, is disruption of circadian clocks, which can affect the secretion of cortisol, testosterone and insulin.

“Any disruption of circadian clocks throughout the body can cause a number of problems, and major changes in diet and metabolism can affect these cellular clocks," Chappell said. Disruption of the clock through diet can even feed into a further disruption of normal metabolism, making the damage worse, as well as affecting sleep and reproduction.

Source: Oregon State University