Age at Menarche in Relation to Adult Height
Open accessAbstract
In the last two centuries, age at menarche has decreased in several European populations, whereas adult height has increased. It is unclear whether these trends have ceased in recent years or how age at menarche and height are related in individuals. In this study, the authors first investigated trends in age at menarche and adult height among 286,205 women from nine European countries by computing the mean age at menarche and height in 5-year birth cohorts, adjusted for differences in socioeconomic status. Second, the relation between age at menarche and height was estimated by linear regression models, adjusted for age at enrollment between 1992 and 1998 and socioeconomic status. Mean age at menarche decreased by 44 days per 5-year birth cohort (beta = -0.12, standard error = 0.002), varying from 18 days in the United Kingdom to 58 days in Spain and Germany. Women grew 0.29 cm taller per 5-year birth cohort (standard error = 0.007), varying from 0.42 cm in Italy to 0.98 cm in Denmark. Furthermore, women grew approximately 0.31 cm taller when menarche occurred 1 year later (range by country: 0.13-0.50 cm). Based on time trends, more recent birth cohorts have their menarche earlier and grow taller. However, women with earlier menarche reach a shorter adult height compared with women who have menarche at a later age.
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For 7 of the adult height loci, the adult height-increasing allele was associated with earlier menarche, opposite to the direction in individual-level epidemiological studies.
“However, for 7 of these loci, the adult height-increasing allele was associated with earlier menarche, which is in the opposite direction to the association in individual-level epidemiological studies35.”
From Thirty new loci for age at menarche identified by a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (2010) · cites this paper as [35]
In all cases the BMI- or WHR-increasing allele was associated with earlier menarche, consistent with the direction of association in epidemiological studies.
“In all cases the BMI- or WHR-increasing allele was associated with earlier menarche, which is consistent with the direction of association in epidemiological studies35.”
From Thirty new loci for age at menarche identified by a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (2010) · cites this paper as [35]
Earlier age at menarche is related to shorter adult stature in large epidemiological studies.
“Earlier age at menarche is related to shorter adult stature in large epidemiological studies35.”
From Thirty new loci for age at menarche identified by a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (2010) · cites this paper as [35]
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- Authors
- Onland-Moret, N. C., Peeters, P. H. M., van Gils, C. H., Clavel-Chapelon, F., Key, T., Tjønneland, A., Trichopoulou, A., Kaaks, R., Manjer, J., Panico, S., Palli, D., Tehard, B., Stoikidou, M., Bueno-De-Mesquita, H. B., Boeing, H., Overvad, K., Lenner, P., Quirós, J. R., Chirlaque, M. D., Miller, A. B., Khaw, K. T., & Riboli, E.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Danish Cancer Society (DK)
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
- Centre international de recherche sur le cancer (FR)
- Lund University (SE)
- Federico II University Hospital (IT)
- Istituto per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica (IT)
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NL)
- German Institute of Human Nutrition (DE)
- Aalborg University Hospital (DK)
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- German Cancer Research Center (DE)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- ORCID
- Venue
- American Journal of Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2005-10-01
- Volume
- 162
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 623-632
- ISSN
- 0002-9262 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-6256
- OpenAlex
- W2168251488
- Cited by
- 227
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 8.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- American Journal of Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Rivm Repository (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) (submittedVersion)
- INFM-OAR (INFN Catania) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- European Commission
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Historical Economic and Social Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Human Health and Disease
- Keywords
- age at menarche, adult height, secular trends, birth cohort, socioeconomic status, European women, pubertal timing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aging, Body Height, Europe, Female, Humans, Menarche, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Social Class, Linear Models
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