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Earlier age at menarche linked to sugar-sweetened beverage intake
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Frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with earlier age at first menstrual period, according to recent study findings published in Human Reproduction.
Karin Michels, ScD, PhD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues evaluated 5,583 girls aged 9 to 14 years from 1996 to 2001 who had not reached menarche to determine the effect of sugar-sweetened beverage intake on timing. At the end of follow-up, 94% of girls had reached menarche and 3% had not.
There was a 26% greater likelihood of reaching menarche within the next month among premenarchal participants aged 9 to 18.5 years who reported consuming more than 1.5 servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day compared with those who reported consuming two or fewer servings weekly, adjusting for total calories only (P for trend <.001). A mean age of 12.8 years at first menarche was reported by participants consuming more than 1.5 servings per day, nearly 3 months earlier than those who consumed two or fewer servings weekly (mean age, 13 years).
An increased risk for reaching menarche within the next month was noted among those who consumed noncarbonated fruit beverages and nondiet beverages but not sweetened iced tea, fruit juice or diet soda. There also was an increased likelihood of menarche within the next month for those consuming caffeine and added sugar, but not total sugar.
When adjusted for BMI, participants consuming more than 1.5 servings per day were 22% more likely to reach menarche within the next month compared with those consuming two or fewer servings per week.
“Our study adds to increasing concern about the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks among children and adolescents in the United States and elsewhere,” Michels said in a press release. “The main concern is about childhood obesity, but our study suggests that age of first menstruation (menarche) occurred earlier, independently of BMI, among girls with the highest consumption of drinks sweetened with added sugar. These findings are important in the context of earlier puberty onset among girls, which has been observed in developed countries and for which the reason in largely unknown.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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