According to a study, the start of the menstrual cycle before the age of 13 is linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, as is the risk of stroke before the age of 65.
My daughter, who is overweight, had menarche at 10 years old. The pediatrician assures me that a phenomenon to be considered physiological for the age. Are there any risks to your future health?
He replies Patrizia Li Volsidiabetologist, Association of Diabetologists (GO TO THE FORUM)
Recent research published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health he related the onset of the menstrual cycle before the age of 13 at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes throughout lifeas well as the risk of stroke before the age of 65. Diabetes and its complications are on the rise even among younger people; at the same time, the age of the first menstrual cycle also shows an increasingly earlier onset in recent decades. The published study took place from 1999 to 2018, included more than 17 thousand women aged between 20 and 65 and for each one the age of the first menstrual cycle was known. Ten percent of participating women had diabetes and 11% also had cardiovascular disease. The risk varied depending on the age of the first menstrual cycle and was 32% higher for menarche at age 10, 14% for menarche at 11 years and 29% at 12 years.
The results of the study
It was found that women with diabetes with their first menstruation at the age of 10 (or earlier) have a greater risk of stroke, more than doubled in those under 65 years of age. The risk decreases as the age of the first cycle increases. A potential explanation for this association could be linked to exposure to estrogen for longer periods of time. High plasma estradiol levels are associated with insulin resistance and glucose levels, independent of adiposity.. An early age at menarche in women may therefore contribute to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These results, even if provided by an observational study, stimulate us to consider the age of menarche or its warning signs, such as breast development, as strategies for early childhood prevention of diabetes and the progression of its complications.
Diet and physical activity
The onset of puberty is related to weight, the amount of adipose tissue in the body and the hormone leptin. Compared to the beginning of the last century, children's body mass has increased. This may be one of the factors that determines precocious puberty, which predisposes the organism to the onset of future hypertension, diabetes and a whole series of vascular complications. It is therefore very important to offer boys and girls, from a very young age and before they approach the world of fast food, a balanced diet according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet and the possibility to carry it out physical activity for several hours a week.
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February 18, 2024 (modified February 18, 2024 | 09:12)
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