Early menarche, fewer CV health metrics increase risk of diabetes, Study finds

Chunyan Hu and colleagues from the Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China carried out the present study where they found that women in China who had menarche before age 14 had a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, compared with those who had menarche at age 14 to 17, after adjusting for other factors. The risk for type 2 diabetes was even higher among women with early menarche who had higher total cholesterol levels and non-ideal blood pressure

Age at menarche was reported to be associated with the risk of diabetes. However, the impact of ideal cardiovascular health metrics (ICVHMs) on the association between age at menarche and adulthood diabetes risk remains unclarified.

The authors included 121431 women from the nationwide, population‐based cohort of the REACTION (Risk Evaluation of Cancers in Chinese Diabetic Individuals: A Longitudinal) study. The diagnosis of diabetes was based on the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HbA1c measurement. Logistic regression and multiplicative interaction analysis were conducted to investigate the potential interaction effect between age at menarche and ICVHMs on the development of diabetes.

The following results were drawn-

1. The multivariable‐adjusted odds ratios of diabetes across categories of age at menarche (<14, 14‐17, and > 17years) were 1.22, 1.00, and 0.89, respectively.
2. In subgroup analysis, significant interactions were detected between total cholesterol, blood pressure levels and age at menarche on the risk of diabetes.
3. The increased risk associated with age at menarche <14 years was observed in participants with 3 or fewer ICVHMs, but not in women with 4 or more ICVHMs.

Hence, they concluded that "age at menarche was inversely associated with the risk of diabetes in adulthood in Chinese women and it appeared to be modified by the presence of ICVHMs." Further studies are needed to clarify the precise interrelationship and the generalizability of our results, Hu further added.