KYW's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — News from the University of Western Australia suggests there could be a direct impact on our knowledge of the development of cardiovascular disease throughout the world.
Researchers have found that young women who started their periods earlier in life and have a high body mass index (BMI) are more likely to suffer from heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
The average age of when patients in the study started their periods was 12.7 years old. Researchers found that for each year later the period began — for instance, 13.7 years or 14.7 years — there was a significant reduction in their BMI.
So what does all of this mean? It is not the age of the first period that matters as much as the fact that these young girls are more likely to become heavier than those who start their periods later.
