Cambridge: Scientists at Cambridge University have recently found that certain genes indirectly contribute to weight gain in childhood, which in turn affects the age of puberty in girls.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge studied the DNA of approximately 800,000 women from Europe, North America, China, Japan, and South Korea.
The researchers identified more than 1,000 variations in the DNA that affect the age of first menstruation. Among these, about 600 variations were discovered for the first time.
The age at which girls reach puberty and start menstruating is typically between 10 and 15 years, although this age has been decreasing in recent decades.
The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but early puberty is associated with an increased risk of several diseases later in life, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. On the other hand, late puberty is associated with better health in young adulthood and longer lifespan.
Furthermore, the researchers also found that 45% of the identified genetic variations indirectly contributed to weight gain in early childhood, which directly leads to earlier puberty.
