Women under the age of 45 are three times more likely to experience early menopause if they have type 2 diabetes, new research has found.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, some 366 million people had diabetes worldwide in 2011 and this figure is expected to increase to 552 million by 2030. Nine in 10 people affected have type 2 diabetes.

Scientists in South America studied over 6,000 women aged between 40 and 59. They looked at issues such as the menopause, diabetes, depression, blood pressure, weight and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

They found that menopause did not increase the risk of diabetes. However in women under the age of 45, the risk of an early menopause was three times higher if they had type 2 diabetes.

The study noted that women with diabetes started the menopause at an average age of 48, compared to 50 in women without diabetes. However overall, almost 30% of women with type 2 diabetes who were aged between 40 and 44, had already experienced the menopause.

Meanwhile, the study also found that women with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30 - this is classed as obese - were 57% more likely to have diabetes. Having high blood pressure also significantly increased the risk of developing diabetes.

"Having type 2 diabetes triples the risk of an early menopause. Diabetes is associated with a generally poor quality of life, so we should encourage women to avoid risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as being overweight or having high blood pressure," the researchers from the University of Cartagena said.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Climacteric.