TUESDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- The diabetes drug metformin
slows the onset of early puberty and reduces the risk of insulin
resistance in girls at risk for both conditions, a Spanish study
concludes.
"The findings indicate that we can slow down puberty. This is
important, because when puberty is faster in girls, the appearance
of menses occurs earlier, and this sequence of events may
ultimately result in a shorter adult height," senior author Dr.
Lourdes Ibanez, of the University of Barcelona, said in a prepared
statement.
In addition, getting a first menstrual period before age 12 has
been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, and early
puberty is a known risk factor for polycystic ovary syndrome, a
common cause of infertility.
The study included 38 girls who had not yet reached puberty but
developed pubic hair before the age of 8, which typically means
they'll start puberty earlier than their peers. The girls in the
study had another risk factor for early puberty: They'd been born
small and experienced rapid catch-up growth during infancy, leading
to increased belly fat. That put them at increased risk for insulin
resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, according to
background information in the study.
The girls were about 8 years old when they were enrolled in the
study. They were divided into two groups of 19 - one that received
no treatment , and one that received treatment with low-dose
metformin once a day for four years.
Compared to the girls who received no treatment, the girls in
the treatment group started puberty and menstruation later, gained
about 50 percent less fat, and became less insulin resistant. The
girls in the treatment group continued to grow taller, while most
of the girls in the untreated group had already stopped
growing.
The study was presented June 16 at the Endocrine Society's
annual meeting, in San Francisco.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about
puberty.
