Adrenal Androgens, Body Fat and Advanced Skeletal Age in Puberty: New Evidence for the Relations of Adrenarche and Gonadarche in Males

Document Type

Article

Authors

Solomon H. Katz, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mary L. Hediger, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Babette S. Zemel, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
John S. Parks, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that serum levels of the adrenal androgen, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), are significantly associated (p < .03) with levels of fatness in males during early, middle and late adolescence. Relatively high levels of DHEAS are also associated with advanced skeletal age (SA), independent of the association of SA and levels of testosterone. This evidence supports our hypothesis that increased fatness prepubertally may potentiate increased levels of adrenal androgens and precipitate earlier sexual maturation. This interaction between body fat and adrenal androgen levels after adrenarche may account for the recent secular trend toward earlier sexual maturation.

Recommended Citation

Katz, Solomon H.; Hediger, Mary L.; Zemel, Babette S.; and Parks, John S. (1985) "Adrenal Androgens, Body Fat and Advanced Skeletal Age in Puberty: New Evidence for the Relations of Adrenarche and Gonadarche in Males," Human Biology: Vol. 57: Iss. 3, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol57/iss3/10