title: Changes in Fasting Lipids during Puberty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe longitudinal changes in plasma lipid levels and pubertal stage in youths from age 8-18 years, in Project HeartBeat!
  
  
  METHODS
  Fasting blood samples and pubertal stage, using physical assessment of secondary sex characteristics, were obtained every 4 months for up to 4 years in a mixed longitudinal study of 633 children (49.1% female, 20.1% black), initially aged 8, 11, and 14 years. Total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and nonhigh density lipoprotein-cholesterol measurements were obtained. Data were collected from 1991-1995.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pubertal stage correlations with age varied among all race-sex groups (range, r = 0.61-0.70), and a given pubertal stage could represent a range of 5 years or more of chronological age. Throughout puberty, levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and nonhigh density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased, TG in males increased, and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and TG in females showed no changes. Within a given pubertal stage, plasma lipid levels tended to differ by race, sex, or both.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipid levels change markedly by pubertal stage, and patterns differ by sex and race. Chronological age ranges widely within a given pubertal stage and is an insensitive indicator of pubertal stage and the related changes in lipid levels. Pubertal development should be considered when determining screening criteria to identify youths with adverse blood lipid levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX. Electronic address: mona.a.eissa@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Mona A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Eissa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Mihalopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holubkov
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Shifan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: The University of Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Darwin R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Labarthe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000097:blood*; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D013781:Texas
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids