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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Theres new help for young girls who are at risk of going through puberty early and developing insulin resistance a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
A new report shows the diabetes drug metformin delays the onset of menstruation and decreases the development of insulin resistance.
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The study looked at 38 girls who had not yet reached puberty but had developed pubic hair abnormally early before the age of eight. Participants also had another risk factor for early puberty all had been born small and had rapid catch-up growth during infancy so they had more fat than normal. This fat is usually around the middle, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease when they get older.
Belly fat is also a marker of insulin resistance a condition where the body needs more insulin than usual to clear glucose from the blood. Researchers say girls who are the most insulin resistant begin menstruating much earlier than their peers.
Participants were an average age of nearly eight when they started the study. Half received a low dose of metformin a drug that improves insulin resistance every day for four years. The other half received no treatment.
Results show the girls who took metformin started puberty and menstruation later than the untreated girls. After four years of taking the drug, they also gained about 50 percent less fat, especially abdominal fat. They also became less insulin resistant and had fewer risk factors for future heart disease compared with girls who did not get the drug.
Metformin is experimental in this age group it is approved for treating type 2 diabetes in people 10 years or older.
SOURCE: The Endocrine Societys 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, June 2-15, 2008
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