The belief that girls who start menstruating before the age of 12 years will be overweight later in life is not true. Excess body fat has been found to jump-start puberty, with some overweight girls starting their periods before the age of 12 years. But some doctors believe that the reverse could also be true. Perhaps girls who mature at an earlier age face a higher risk of becoming overweight later. Researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, USA, investigated the truth in this belief. They focused on delaying puberty as a way to combat obesity. They followed 700 girls from the small Massachusetts city beginning in 1965. Researchers also contacted roughly 450 of the participants when they reached an average age of 42. For girls who are not overweight and get their first period early, doesn't mean that they are at an increased risk for being overweight as an adult. The findings helped researches to focus on childhood obesity. Overweight girls can be expected to mature earlier, grow taller and develop breasts earlier than leaner girls, which should not cause concern. But they do have a higher risk of remaining overweight in adulthood.
Pediatrics,
August 2005