Sweetened Beverages Linked to Earlier Menarche

Girls who frequently consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) tend to start their menstrual periods earlier than girls who do not, according to new study.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, MA, USA) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) analyzed data from the “The Growing up Today” study, involving 5,583 girls (aged 9–14 years) between 1996 and 2001. The cumulative updated SSB consumption was calculated using annual food frequency questionnaires, while age at menarche was self-reported. During the 10,555 person-years of follow-up, 94% of the girls reported their age at menarche.

The researchers found that at any given age, girls of the same age who reported consuming more than 1.5 servings of SSBs per day were 24% more likely to attain menarche in the next month, relative to girls consuming less than two servings of SSBs weekly. Correspondingly, girls consuming more than 1.5 SSBs daily had an estimated 2.7-month earlier menarche, relative to those consuming less than two SSBs weekly. This effect was independent of body mass index (BMI), height, total food intake, and other lifestyle factors such as physical activity. Diet soda and fruit juice consumption were not associated with age at menarche. The study was published online on January 28, 2014, in Human Reproduction.

“The main concern is about childhood obesity, but our study suggests that age of first menstruation occurred earlier, independently of body mass index, among girls with the highest consumption of drinks sweetened with added sugar,” said lead author associate professor Karin Michels, ScD, PhD, of HSPS. “Our findings provide further support for public health efforts to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks.”

SSBs have a higher glycemic index than naturally sweetened drinks such as fruit juices, resulting in a rapid increase in insulin concentrations in the body. This can lead to a higher concentrations of sex hormones, which has been linked to periods starting earlier. Greater caffeine intake has also been associated with earlier periods.

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Harvard School of Public Health
Brigham and Women's Hospital