Adipose Depot Changes and Associated Metabolic Risk in the Longitudinal Health Influences of Puberty Study
Authors' conclusion
In this small sample, abdominal and ectopic fat depots in early puberty were uniquely associated with alterations in cardiometabolic risk markers during puberty.
Study context
- Population
- Youth in the Health Influences of Puberty (HIP) cohort with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at early (Tanner 2/3) and late (Tanner 4/5) puberty; 53% female, 37% obesity
- Participants
- 19 participants
- Exposure
- Youth with obesity vs without obesity
- Outcome
- Longitudinal changes in abdominal SAT and VAT, hepatic fat fraction (HFF) and pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) and associations with cardiometabolic risk markers
- Follow-up
- Early to late puberty
Methodological detailslongitudinal
- Longitudinal
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Change in adipose depots
Obesity: abdominal SAT increase, median (IQR)
83.1cm2
43.4
Without obesity: VAT/SAT ratio change, median (IQR)
−0.08
0.08
Without obesity: Hepatic fat fraction (HFF) increase, median (IQR)
0.6%
0.5
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Associations of early-puberty adipose depots with metabolic markers during puberty (linear mixed models adjusted for BMI group)
- Abdominal SAT positively associated with leptin, β
- 1.05 (0.35, 1.74) (95% CI)
- VAT positively associated with triglycerides, β
- 0.32 (0.02, 0.61) (95% CI)
- VAT positively associated with high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP), β
- 1.40 (0.31, 2.49) (95% CI)
- HFF inversely associated with insulin sensitivity, β
- 0.32 (−0.58, −0.07) (95% CI)
- Pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) inversely associated with adiponectin, β
- 0.23 (−0.42, −0.04) (95% CI)
- All p < 0.05
Original publication
Adipose Depot Changes and Associated Metabolic Risk in the Longitudinal Health Influences of Puberty Study. Pediatr Obes. Published 2 March 2026. doi:10.
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