Age at menarche and its association with the metabolic syndrome in Taiwan

Chia-Jung Chang; Ming-May Lai; Cheng-Chieh Lin; Chiu-Shong Liu; Tsai-Chung Li; Chia-Ing Li; Wen-Yuan Lin

doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2015.10.003

Age at menarche and its association with the metabolic syndrome in Taiwan

Obes Res Clin Pract. 2016 Sep:10 Suppl 1:S26-S34. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2015.10.003. Epub 2015 Nov 20.

Authors

Chia-Jung Chang¹, Ming-May Lai¹, Cheng-Chieh Lin², Chiu-Shong Liu³, Tsai-Chung Li⁴, Chia-Ing Li⁵, Wen-Yuan Lin⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
² Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Health Care Administration, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate Institute of Biostatistics, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: wylin@mail.cmu.edu.tw.

PMID: 26777792
DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2015.10.003

Abstract

Background: The average age at menarche in the Taiwanese population is falling. Contrarily, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) showed a worldwide increase in the past two decades. The aim of this study was to examine the association between age at menarche and MetS.

Materials and methods: A total of 3292 women aged 19-91 years old were enrolled in two databases from 2004 to 2008. MetS was defined according to American Heart Association's criteria. Age at menarche was obtained from self-reported questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the association between age at menarche and MetS with adjustment for potential confounding variables.

Results: The prevalence of MetS increased with age. After adjusting age, lifestyle status, and reproductive factors as variables, subjects who had menarche at a younger age showed significantly higher risk of MetS. The adjusted odds ratio of having MetS in <12 and 12-14 years old menarche age groups were 1.71 (1.07-2.71) and 1.22 (1.00-1.50), respectively. The significant increase in odds ratio for MetS in early age menarche also reveals a dose-response effect.

Conclusions: Early onset of menarche is an important risk factor of MetS and may help identify women at risk of MetS.

Keywords: Menarche; Metabolic syndrome; Taiwan.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Age Factors
Child
Female
Humans
Logistic Models
Menarche*
Metabolic Syndrome / epidemiology
Metabolic Syndrome / etiology*
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Self Report
Taiwan / epidemiology