Early Periods In Girls May Signal Greater Type 2 Diabetes Risks In Adulthood

The study of women in eight European countries does not confirm that early puberty causes diabetes, but it does point to an association. "The body is undergoing many changes during puberty " said Ksatjy Elks, a research fellow At MRC Epidemiology unit at the University of Cambridge in England. " Our research as well as previous related studies, suggest that the biological factors implicated in the timing of development may have role in the development of type 2 diabetes, despite the fact that these processes occur many years before menifestation of disturbed (blood sugar) control." For the study, published in the November issue of Diabetes care, Elks and colleagues examinee the record of more than 15,000 women and found that those who began to menstruate between the ages of 8 and 11 were 70 % more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who began to menstruate at age 13, the median age. Other studies have shown that girls who start ouberty earlier are more likely to develop obesity, heart diseases and some type of cancer. Could obesity, which is more common among girls who get their first perio early, play a role? The researchers adjusted their statistcs to remove any effect of obesity and found that those who began puberty esrlier still had a higher risk of diabetes, although excess weight often appesars to play a role overall. "These findings suggest that early puberty has an effect on metabolic disease risk which is partially mediated by increases BMI ( a measurement of body fat based on height and weight), but also has some direct effect through other biological pathways which independently of adiposity (bodty fat)", the study authors noted in a news release from American Diabetes Association. Incidence of type 2 diabetes has surged in recent decades, coinciding with an avrage age of puberty, the researchers pointed out. However, having a first period later than average (after age 15) did not confer greater protection from type 2 diabetes in adulthood, the authors said.