Teens late to puberty may end up with weaker bones, finds new study

Girls had their growth spurts earlier, at an average age of 11.5, while boys spurted on average at age 13.5

Teens who hit puberty late may end up with weaker bones, a new study finds.

In the study, which included more than 6,000 British children, researchers found that kids who experienced their growth spurts — which occur around the age of puberty — late had lower than average bone density in young adulthood.

“Teens who mature later than their peers tend to have lower bone density on average as they grow and so they are likely to have a risk of breaking a bone,” said the study’s lead author Ahmed Elhakeem, an epidemiologist at the University of Bristol. “These later maturing teens