Early menstruation a risk factor for depression and breast cancer, researchers say
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Girls who consume a lot of sugary drinks may enter puberty earlier than girls who don't, Harvard researchers report.
Among nearly 5,600 girls aged 9 to 14 who were followed between 1996 and 2001, the researchers found that those who drank more than 1.5 servings of sugary drinks a day had their first period 2.7 months earlier than those who drank two or fewer of these drinks a week.
This finding was independent of the girls' body mass index (a height-weight ratio that measures body fat), how much food they ate, or whether they exercised or not, the researchers noted.
"Starting periods early is a risk factor for depression during adolescence and breast cancer during adulthood. Thus, our findings have implications beyond just starting menstruation early," said study first author Jenny Carwile, a postdoctoral associate at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston.
The researchers found that the average age at the first period among girls who consumed the most sugary drinks was 12.8 years, compared with 13 years for those drinking the least.
The reasons why sugary drinks might bring on menstruation early are not clear, she said. "We think it may have to do with the effects of consuming a highly sugared food," Carwile said.
Carwile explained that the girls filled out a detailed questionnaire each year about what they ate. From this data, researchers were able to isolate how much sugar girls got from drinks apart from the sugar they consumed in other foods.
Sugary drinks containing sucrose, glucose or corn syrup have already been linked to weight gain, and this new study shows another negative side effect of these drinks, Carwile said.
"This is one more nail in soda's coffin," she said.
The report was published online Jan. 28 in the journal Human Reproduction.
Senior study author Karin Michels, an associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, called the study "another reason to cut down on these beverages that have sugar added to them."
source : Soda Habit May Prompt Early Puberty in Girls, Study Suggests
