whatshappeningtothekids:Sugary drinks may cause menstruation to start earlier, study suggests Suga
whatshappeningtothekids: Sugary drinks may cause menstruation to start earlier, study suggests Sugary drinks may be causing girls to start menstruating earlier, research suggests. A study of girls aged nine to 14 found that those averaging more than 1.5 sugar-sweetened beverages a day had their first period 2.7 months earlier than those consuming two a week or fewer. The difference of a few months is not great, but the researchers say it may be significant because earlier onset menstrual periods are among the factors contributing to an increased risk of breast cancer later in life. However, one expert said the small change may not be hugely biologically relevant. Sugary drinks are widely thought to be contributing to childhood obesity, which is already known to be a factor in earlier onset of menstruation. The lead researcher in the US study, Dr Karin Michels, of Harvard Medical School, said: “Our study adds to increasing concern about the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks among children and adolescents in the US and elsewhere. The main concern is about childhood obesity, but our study suggests that age of first menstruation (menarche) occurred earlier, independently of body mass index, among girls with the highest consumption of drinks sweetened with added sugar. -- source link