A Natural History of Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Pubertal Timing Among Youth With Obesity
Starting soon
Conditions studied: Obesity
In brief
Background: Obesity affects 1 in 5 children in the United States. Childhood obesity often persists into adolescence and adulthood. It can also raise the risk of sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and fluid buildup in the brain and lead to early-onset puberty. This natural history study will explore how factors such as genes, hormones, diet, and chemical exposures affect puberty in children with obesity. Objective: To learn which factors predict the early start of puberty in children with obesity vs those of normal weight. Eligibility: Children aged 5 to 7 years with obesity or of normal weight. Design: Participants will have clinic visits every 6 months until they reach age 12. Each clinic visit will include these tests and procedures: A physical exam. Collection of blood, urine, and saliva samples. Some samples will be used for genetic tests. Questions about medical history and medications and supplements. A questionnaire about their physical activity over the previous week. A silicone wrist band. Participants will wear a soft wristband for a week prior to each visit. It will tell researchers what chemicals the children were exposed to during that time. Breast ultrasound, for girls. A gel will be applied, and a wand will be pressed against the skin. The wand uses sound waves to see the tissue inside the breast. DXA whole body scan. Once a year, participants will have a DXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan. This scan measures the amount of bone, muscle, and fat in the body. Optional food diary. Parents may record everything the participant eats for two 24-hour periods ...
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07437976
- Run by
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- People needed
- 400
- Starts
- 2026-08-13
- Expected to finish
- 2036-12-23
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-08-10
Who can join
Age: 5 and older, up to 12. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
- Known diagnosis of syndromic/genetic form of obesity
- Current use of medications or supplements that affect reproductive hormones (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, puberty blockers, regular use of lavender oil or tea tree oil)
- Chronic medical conditions (e.g., type 1 or type 2 diabetes, cancer, renal failure, lupus, etc.), at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- Clinically significant abnormal laboratory values, at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- International adoptee (associated with earlier puberty)
- Individuals who do not meet the criteria for participation in this study (screen failure) because of an acute, reversible or transient medical reason may be rescreened upon reversal, improvement or stabilization of their clinical status. Participants who develop an acute, reversible or transient medical condition during the study may return upon reversal, improvement or stabilization of their clinical status.
Where it is running
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Clinical Research Unit — Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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