Later menarche may pose lower risks for type 2, gestational diabetes
Older age at menarche is associated with a reduced risk for developing glucose metabolism disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, impaired fasting glucose and gestational diabetes, according to study findings published in Menopause.
“Our dose-response analysis found a 2%, 3% and 2% reduction in relative risk of type 2 diabetes, IFG and gestational diabetes, respectively, for each 1-year increase in age at menarche,” Yongcheng Ren, MD, PhD, of the department of public health at the School of Medicine at Huanghuai University in Zhumadian, Henan, China, and colleagues wrote. “We found evidence of linear negative correlations between age at menarche and type 2 diabetes and IFG and a nonlinear association between age at menarche and gestational diabetes, with the strongest reduction in risk observed at menarche age 14.5 years.”
Ren and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 25 publications (34 studies) from PubMed and Embase on age at menarche among women and incidence or morbidity due to glucose metabolism disorders: type 2 diabetes (n = 757,427), IFG (n = 20,097) and gestational diabetes (n = 62,253). Women included in the analysis experienced menarche after age 8 years and before age 18 years.
For each 1-year increase in age at menarche, RRs were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.98-0.99) for type 2 diabetes, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96-0.99) for IFG and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97-0.99) for gestational diabetes mellitus. The researchers observed linear negative correlations between age at menarche and type 2 diabetes (P = .052) and IFG (P = .145) and a nonlinear dose-response between age at menarche and gestational diabetes (P = .038).
“Our meta-analysis included more than 2.4 times the number of studies included in previously published meta-analyses and approximately three types of glucose metabolism disorder,” the researchers wrote. “These quantitative data are expected to have an unprecedented effect on the use of age at menarche as a marker to identify women with increased glucose metabolism disorder risk who may benefit from early preventive strategies.” – by Erin T. Welsh
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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