Height and weight at menarche and a hypothesis of critical body weights and adolescent events
Abstract
Height and weight at menarche were found for each subject in three longitudinal growth studies. Early and late maturing girls have menarche at the same mean weight, but late maturers are taller at menarche. Two other major events of adolescence, initiation of the weight growth spurt and maximum rate of weight gain, also occur at an invariant mean weight. The hypothesis is proposed that a critical body weight may trigger each of these adolescent events. Such an interaction would explain the secular trend to an earlier menarche.
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A threshold bodyweight is necessary for pubertal development and reproduction.
“A threshold bodyweight is necessary for pubertal development and reproduction.91”
From Pubertal development and regulation (2016) · cites this paper as [91]
Animal and human studies in the 1960s and 1970s showed that the proper function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is gated by metabolic and nutritional factors.
“Animal and human studies in the 1960s and 1970s showed that the proper function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is gated by metabolic and nutritional factors.91,92”
From Pubertal development and regulation (2016) · cites this paper as [91]
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- Authors
- Frisch, R. E., & Revelle, R.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1970-07-24
- Volume
- 169
- Issue
- 3943
- Pages
- 397-399
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2022076256
- Cited by
- 721
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 9.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Human Health and Disease
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Growth Hormone and Insulin-like Growth Factors
- Keywords
- menarche, adolescent growth, body weight, body height, pubertal timing, weight gain, growth spurt, secular trends, longitudinal growth study, girls
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Altitude, Birth Weight, Body Height, Body Weight, Child, Female, Growth, Humans, Menarche, Menstruation, Metabolism, Prospective Studies, Puberty
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