He added: 'The good news is that we know that testosterone levels do return to normal in obese adult males who undergo gastric bypass surgery. However, he said: 'These findings demonstrate that the effect of obesity is powerful, even in the young, and that lifestyle and nutritional intake starting in childhood have major repercussions throughout all stages of life.'ĭr Dandona said in addition to the reproductive consequences, the absence or low levels of testosterone that were found also will increase the tendency toward abdominal fat and reduced muscle, leading to insulin resistance which contributes to diabetes.
Concentrations of total and free testosterone and estradiol, an oestrogen hormone, were measured in morning fasting blood samples.ĭr Dandona said the results need to be confirmed with a larger number of subjects. The study included 25 obese and 25 lean youths and was controlled for age and level of sexual maturity.
In 2009, 20 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds boys in the UK were recorded as obese.