New research has shown how boys being overweight in early childhood or having chickenpox or another infectious disease in infancy may increase their risk of having chronic disease in later life.
Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences have analyzed the level of the unique testis hormone biomarker insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) in young men at 24 years of age and related this to a range of health and lifestyle factors during their childhood.
The team have previously shown that the biomarker INSL3 in younger men is predictive of chronic disease when they get older. In this new study they found that while most factors had little or no effect, being overweight as a child or young teenager, or having had chickenpox or other infectious disease in early infancy, were significantly associated with a reduction in adult INSL3 by 10 to 15%. This potentially increases the risk of later adult illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone weakness, or sexual dysfunction.
The study, published today in Andrology is the first to ever examine the impact of childhood diet, health and infections and their long term impact on health across the lifespan.
The research was led by Dr. Ravinder Anand-Ivell, Associate Professor in Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology, who has previously shown how the unique biomarker INSL3, in aging men is able to predict conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or bone weakness, and that low INSL3 in older men has its origins already in younger men.
We know that INSL3 hormone levels in boys and men are a robust biomarker of the testicular capacity to produce the steroid hormone testosterone that is essential not only for reproduction but also for overall healthy well-being. In this new study we have found that there is a clear link between certain health factors in childhood at a time before puberty when the testes are still developing and later men’s health as they age.”
Dr. Ravinder Anand-Ivell, Associate Professor in Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology, University of Nottingham
In this new study the researchers analysed data from participants in the “Children of the Nineties” cohort of children (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children) established by colleagues at the University of Bristol. These boys had been followed clinically from birth and are now in their twenties.
By correlating the levels of INSL3 in the young men from this cohort with a wide range of clinical and lifestyle parameters throughout their childhood and adolescence, the team identified the factors during childhood which could potentially affect mens health as they aged. Importantly, they also identified many other factors which were less important. The key findings showed that being overweight as a child or young teenager, or having had chickenpox or other infectious disease in early infancy both markedly increase the risk to mens health as they age and moreover emphasize the importance of early vaccination.
Dr. Anand-Ivell adds: “By using this new biomarker INSL3 as well as having this childhood health information allows us now to be able to predict those men at risk and thus consider appropriate preventative measures before disease sets in. The next stage of this research is the development of a specialist high-throughput assay which would allow the measurement of INSL3 to be introduced as part of the routine clinical assessment for male healthy aging.”
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Journal reference:
Ivell, R., et al. (2025). Maternal, childhood and adolescent influences on Leydig cell functional capacity and circulating INSL3 concentration in young adults: Importance of childhood infections and body mass index. Andrology. doi.org/10.1111/andr.70091.