title: Does vitamin D affect timing of menarche?
abstract: In a recently published prospective study, Villamor et al. found increased risk of early menarche in vitamin D-deficient girls compared to vitamin D-sufficient girls in Bogota, Columbia. The association was not fully explained by differences in body mass index-for-age z-scores. The mechanism for the association, if real, has not been elucidated, but could potentially involve vitamin D receptor polymorphisms. Early menarche and vitamin D deficiency are both associated with poor health outcomes, and further exploration of their association is important for women's health.
authors: Bone Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, 711 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. Anna.Chew@tufts.edu
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Chew
authors: Susan S
authors: SS
authors: Harris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D