Early developers at greater risk of diabetes and heart disease while late developers more prone to asthma, according to Cambridge University study

The age that children hit puberty has been found to be a significant predictor of their health in later life, researchers say.

The University of Cambridge study confirms previous findings of a link between early puberty in women and heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and has shown for the first time that early puberty in men is also associated with these conditions.

Those who went through puberty relatively early had around 50% higher relative risks for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. However, women and men who went through puberty relatively late had a higher relative risk of developing asthma.

Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) epidemiology unit at the University of Cambridge found that the age at which both men and women begin puberty is associated with a total of 48 different health conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, glaucoma, psoriasis and depression – along with early menopause in women.

They analysed the data of nearly half a million people whose details are compiled by UK Biobank, a national study for health research funded by the MRC and the Wellcome Trust, with participants asked when they remember puberty starting – the age of their first monthly period for women and when their voice broke in men.

Most girls begin puberty at eight to 14 years of age, with 11 the average age, according to the NHS.

The study found that 50,000 (20%) women began their period aged 8-11, which it classed as early, while 41,000 (16.5%) did so aged 15-19, classed as late. Those that did before or after these age ranges were not included.

Meanwhile, 8,500 (4%) men reported they were “relatively younger” when their voice broke, 12,000 (6%) said they were “relatively older”.

Researchers found those in the earliest or latest 20% had higher risks for late life disease when compared with those in the middle 20%.

Some findings differed between genders. Women who were in the latest 20% to go through puberty had higher relative risk of heart disease, whereas men who went through puberty relatively late had a relatively lower risk of heart disease.

It was previously thought that only those individuals with relatively early puberty were more susceptible to a handful of specific diseases.

Lead author Dr Felix Day said: “Up until now, the link between early puberty and risk of disease has been blamed on weight and obesity, but our findings suggest that men and women of a normal weight who go through puberty relatively early or late may also carry these risks.

“Though a cross-sectional study of this kind cannot distinguish between cause and effect, evidence from other studies using different methods does point to a causal link between puberty and certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

“In other cases it may be that puberty is acting as a marker of underlying genetics associated with certain diseases, and in a few cases it may be that the disease itself starts early in life and then affects puberty timing.”

Dr John Perry, senior investigator scientist at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, said: “We are continuing to work to understand how puberty timing impacts later health and how this information may be used alongside efforts to support healthy lifestyle changes and prevent disease.

“It is important to note that the increase in disease risk attributable to puberty timing is still relatively modest and represents one of many factors that contribute to the overall risk of developing disease.”

The research is published in Scientific Reports.