The Hidden Endocrine Burden of Adolescent Obesity: Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Interventions

Adolescent obesity has emerged as one of the most pressing global health challenges, with prevalence rates continuing to rise across diverse populations. Beyond its well-recognized metabolic consequences, excess adiposity during this critical developmental period profoundly disrupts endocrine homeostasis, giving rise to a complex spectrum of hormonal and metabolic complications. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these disturbances are multifactorial, involving chronic low-grade inflammation, adipokine imbalance, altered nutrient signaling, and dysregulation of neuroendocrine axes. Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable window, as these hormonal perturbations can interfere with growth, pubertal development, and reproductive maturation. Despite significant advances in pediatric endocrinology, many mechanistic pathways remain insufficiently characterized, and their long-term implications for adult health are still poorly understood.This Research Topic aims to gather cutting-edge research that elucidates the biological processes linking obesity to endocrine dysfunction during adolescence. By bringing together mechanistic, clinical, and translational perspectives, it seeks to advance understanding of how these alterations shape long-term metabolic and reproductive trajectories, and to inform the research and clinical communities working to improve early detection and care for affected adolescents.We welcome original research, reviews, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, case reports, and perspective pieces focused on the adolescent age range. Particular attention will be given to contributions addressing the following sub-themes:• insulin resistance, adipose tissue inflammation, and the molecular determinants of altered insulin signaling in adolescents;• interplay between hyperinsulinemia and the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, including hyperandrogenism, menstrual irregularities, and obesity-related hypogonadism;• dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, including alterations in cortisol metabolism, diurnal rhythm disturbances, and the role of adipose-derived 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in amplifying local glucocorticoid activity;• thyroidal adaptations to obesity, leptin resistance, and their combined effects on metabolic rate and pubertal progression;• micronutrient–endocrine interactions and emerging biomarkers for early detection of endocrine complications;• advanced imaging, omics technologies, and computational modeling applied to mechanistic insights;• prevention, early diagnosis, and mechanistically informed therapeutic strategies for endocrine complications of adolescent obesity.Together, these contributions will help build a comprehensive picture of how obesity perturbs endocrine function during adolescence and how this knowledge can be translated into better clinical care. Topic editors: Giuseppina Rosaria Umano, Malgorzata Gabriela Wasniewska, Kamila Magdalena Szeliga Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83890/the-hidden-endocrine-burden-of-adolescent-obesity-mechanisms-biomarkers-and-interventions