RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY-MASS INDEX, AGE, AND SERUM ADRENAL ANDROGENLEVELS IN PERUVIAN CHILDREN LIVING AT HIGH-ALTITUDE AND AT SEA-LEVEL

We have determined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and serum adrenal androgen levels when age is controlled for in children, aged 7-12 years, living in Lima (150 m above sea level) and in Cusco ( 3400 m above sea level). The purpose of the study was to determine whe ther the relationship of serum adrenal androgen levels with both BMI a nd age differs between low and high altitude. The ratio weight/height( 2) is not an adequate marker of BMI because it correlates with height in children from Lima and Cusco. The ratio weight/height(2.3) correlat es with body weight but not with height and was used in the present st udy as the BMI. From age 7 to 12 years, the BMI increased significantl y with age only in boys from sea level and in girls from high altitude . The study demonstrates that serum adrenal androgen levels are not re lated to BMI in either sea-level or high-altitude children when the ef fect of age is removed statistically. These data suggest that BMI in c hildren is not related to serum levels of adrenal androgens and that d elayed age of adrenarche observed in children at high altitude may be due to factors other than nutritional status.