Sugar, sweeteners might trigger early puberty In some kids, study says
July 14 (UPI) -- Sugar and artificial sweeteners might increase the risk of early puberty in children, a new study says.
Sugar, aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda) and glycyrrhizin (licorice root) are all significantly associated with a higher risk of early puberty, particularly in genetically predisposed children, researchers reported Sunday at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
Further, the more of these sweeteners that children consumed, the greater their risk of early puberty, researchers found.
"This study is one of the first to connect modern dietary habits - specifically sweetener intake - with both genetic factors and early puberty development in a large, real-world cohort," researcher Dr. Yang-Ching Chen, a professor of family medicine at Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, said in a news release.
In previous research, Chen had found that certain sweeteners can directly influence hormones and gut bacteria linked to early puberty.
For example, the artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) triggers the release of puberty-related hormones, and glycyrrhizin changes the balance of gut bacteria and influences genes involved in puberty, Chen's earlier work showed.
"This suggests that what children eat and drink, especially products with sweeteners, may have a surprising and powerful impact on their development," Chen said.
For the new study, researchers analyzed data on more than 1,400 teens in Taiwan, of whom 481 experienced a form of early puberty called central precocious puberty.
Puberty usually starts between 8 and 13 for girls and 9 to 14 in boys, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Central precocious puberty occurs when a child's brain releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone too early, causing the testes or ovaries to start generating sex hormones, the Cleveland Clinic says.
Children with precocious puberty may grow quickly at first, but stop earlier than usual, causing them to be shorter-than-average adults. Long-term they may be at higher risk of heart disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Researchers used questionnaires and urine samples to assess teens' sweetener intake, and tested their genetic predisposition using a panel of 19 genes related to central precocious puberty.
Not only were certain sweeteners linked to early puberty, but boys and girls responded to different types of sweeteners, researchers found.
Sucralose increase early puberty risk in boys, while glycyrrhizin, sucralose and added sugars increased risk in girls, results show.
The results highlight "gender differences in how sweeteners affect boys and girls, adding an important layer to our understanding of individualized health risks," Chen said.
"The findings are directly relevant to families, pediatricians and public health authorities," Chen said. "They suggest that screening for genetic risk and moderating sweetener intake could help prevent early puberty and its long-term health consequences. This could lead to new dietary guidelines or risk assessment tools for children, supporting healthier development."
Because this was an observational study, it could not draw a direct cause-and-effect link between sweeteners and early puberty.
Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on early puberty.
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