Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310052, Zhejiang, China.
Institute of Neuroscience, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, 310052, China.
Nutr Diabetes. 2024 Oct 4;14(1):82. doi: 10.1038/s41387-024-00335-w.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity, particularly in girls, is linked to early puberty onset, heightening risks for adult-onset diseases. Addressing childhood obesity and precocious puberty is vital to mitigate societal burdens. Despite existing costly and invasive medical interventions, introducing lifestyle-based alternatives is essential. Our study investigates alternate-day fasting's (ADF) impact on pubertal development in normal-weight and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese female mice.
Four groups of female mice were utilized, with dams initially fed control chow during and before pregnancy. Post-parturition, two groups continued on control chow, while two switched to an HFD. Offspring diets mirrored maternal exposure. One control and one HFD group were subjected to ADF. Morphometry and hormone analyses at various time points were performed.
Our findings demonstrate that ADF in normal-weight mice led to reduced body length, weight, uterine, and ovarian weights, accompanied by delayed puberty and lower levels of sex hormones and growth hormone (GH). Remarkably, GH treatment effectively prevented ADF-induced growth reduction but did not prevent delayed puberty. Conversely, an HFD increased body length, induced obesity and precocious puberty, and altered sex hormones and leptin levels, which were counteracted by ADF regimen. Our data indicate ADF's potential in managing childhood obesity and precocious puberty.
ADF reduced GH and sex hormone levels, contributing to reduced growth and delayed puberty, respectively. Therefore, parents of normal-weight children should be cautious about prolonged overnight fasting. ADF prevented HFD-induced obesity and precocious puberty, offering an alternative to medical approaches; nevertheless, further studies are needed for translation into clinical practice.
背景/目的：儿童肥胖，尤其是女童，与青春期提前有关，增加了成年后发病的风险。解决儿童肥胖和性早熟问题对于减轻社会负担至关重要。尽管存在昂贵且有创的医学干预措施，但引入基于生活方式的替代方案是必要的。我们的研究调查了隔日禁食（ADF）对正常体重和高脂肪饮食（HFD）诱导肥胖雌性小鼠青春期发育的影响。
我们使用了四组雌性小鼠，其母鼠在妊娠期间和妊娠前一直喂食对照饲料。分娩后，两组继续喂食对照饲料，而两组切换到 HFD。后代的饮食与母鼠的暴露情况一致。一组对照和一组 HFD 组进行 ADF。在不同时间点进行形态测量和激素分析。
我们的研究结果表明，正常体重小鼠的 ADF 导致身体长度、体重、子宫和卵巢重量减少，青春期延迟，性激素和生长激素（GH）水平降低。值得注意的是，GH 治疗有效预防了 ADF 引起的生长减少，但不能预防青春期延迟。相反，HFD 增加了身体长度，诱导肥胖和性早熟，并改变了性激素和瘦素水平，而 ADF 方案则逆转了这些变化。我们的数据表明 ADF 在管理儿童肥胖和性早熟方面具有潜力。
ADF 降低了 GH 和性激素水平，分别导致生长减少和青春期延迟。因此，正常体重儿童的父母应谨慎对待长时间夜间禁食。ADF 预防了 HFD 诱导的肥胖和性早熟，为医学方法提供了替代方案；然而，需要进一步的研究将其转化为临床实践。
