BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – You’ve probably heard before that too much soda or sugary drinks can be bad for your overall health, but now researchers are saying it could have further negative
implications for young girls.
A recent study found that girls who heavily consume sugary drinks may reach puberty earlier than those who don’t.
Harvard researchers studied nearly 6,000 girls and found those who drank more than 1.5 sugary drinks a day had their first period about three months earlier than those who drank less soft drinks.
In fact, medical experts say for more than a decade they’ve noticed girls starting puberty earlier than in previous generations.
“We do know we are seeing puberty a lot earlier than we used to before, and most of us thought it was directly linked to the increase of overweight and obesity in these children, but the study was interesting in that it looked specifically at soda habits,” said Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Poornima Kunani.
The research classified sodas, sweetened fruit drinks and sweetened teas as sugary drinks. Diet sodas and unsweetened juices didn’t have the same effect.
[KP Tag]