Sex-specific differences in metabolic profile and insulin resistance were observed in prepubertal children with obesity, according to a cross-sectional metabolomic study published in Cardiovascular Diabetology. The analysis evaluated sex-stratified metabolic alterations associated with obesity and insulin resistance in children before the onset of puberty.

The study included 89 children aged 6-12 years at Tanner stage I, stratified into three groups: obesity with insulin resistance (19 girls, 20 boys), obesity without insulin resistance (10 girls, 12 boys), and healthy controls (12 girls, 16 boys). Plasma and erythrocyte samples underwent comprehensive biochemical and metabolomic assessment, followed by sex-stratified statistical analyses.

Boys showed higher insulin resistance and elevated inflammatory markers than girls, along with male-specific alterations in metabolites related to carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism, oxidative stress, and phospholipid turnover. Children with obesity showed increased steroid levels, with higher androgens in boys and higher estrogens and progestogens in girls compared with controls.

These findings indicate sex-specific differences in metabolic and hormonal profiles in prepubertal children with obesity, with a more unfavorable metabolic profile observed in boys.