Girls' first period can be faster if they drink soda frequently

You may have often heard that children are not encouraged to drink frequently soft drink, among them is soda. However, did you know that research shows that it turns out that girls who often drink soda are at risk of premature puberty? Puberty that comes earlier than normal is marked by the first time menstruation. How can drinking soda speed up the onset of your first period?

Soda has been shown to speed up girls' first menstruation

A study in the journal Human Reproduction in 2015 shows that consumption soft drink can cause menstruation for the first time in young women in the United States (US) to start earlier. Menstruation of children or adolescent girls for the first time in their life is called menarche.

The study involved 5,500 girls aged 9-14 years. This study followed the children from the time they did not menstruate until the first day they experienced menstruation.

This study shows that girls who often drink soda in this study, namely 1.5 servings of soda per day, have a 22 percent chance of experiencing menarche, aka the first menstruation.

Girls who often drink soda have an average age of menarche 2.7 months faster than girls with low soda consumption category. The low consumption in this study was two glasses or less of soda per week.

What is the impact if the first period is earlier than girls his age?

Reported in Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the earlier the age of menarche is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer, such as breast cancer.

However, it is not known in the Human Reproduction study above whether a small difference, namely 2.7 months earlier in experiencing the first menstruation can increase the risk of cancer or not. However, overall drinking soda that is too often or too much can still have an impact on the health conditions of children and adolescent girls. Obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cancer can be triggered by consuming too much soft drink accompanied by an unbalanced diet.

In addition, reported by Medscape, the arrival of menstruation that is too early is associated with an increased risk of depression when a child enters adolescence.

The relationship between drinking soda and the age of the first period

Actually, there is no research that states that soft drinks will definitely cause the first menstruation to occur earlier. However, there are several allegations that could link the relationship between the two. First, consumption of soft drinks too often plays a big role with weight gain. Second, consumption of soft drinks can trigger a spike in blood sugar.

Look, soft drinks contain very high calories. If you drink it too often and in large quantities, it will also accumulate large calories in the body. This can also lead to being overweight to obesity.

According to dr. Julie Powell, a specialist in gynecology for children and adolescents in the US, if you are overweight or obese, the age of menarche is more likely to occur earlier.

The more fat cells in the body, the more the hormone estrogen is produced. Estrogen is the main sexual hormone in women. The abundance of estrogen in the body can trigger earlier menstruation.

In addition, one of the conditions for a woman to experience her first menstruation is an adequate amount of the hormone leptin. In children who are obese or overweight, the amount of leptin will be higher than those of normal body weight. That's why obese children are more likely to have their first menstruation.

The second suspicion is that the relationship between soft drinks and the age of menarche can be triggered by a spike in blood sugar after consuming this drink. This rapid and high blood sugar spike will increase the insulin hormone surge.

Well, this increase in insulin can trigger the high production of a female sex hormone called the estrogen hormone. As previously explained, the high level of estrogen in a girl's body will stimulate the arrival of menstruation.

There are many factors that influence the arrival of the first period

High consumption of sodas has been linked to earlier menarche, but not solely because of that. Food intake, psychological factors, and exposure to chemical substances can also affect when the first menstruation will be experienced by a child and adolescent girl.

A healthy lifestyle from an early age that is comprehensive (holistic) can protect your daughter from menarche that is too fast. Limit consumption soft drink, avoid foods high in fat but low in nutrients, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep so that girls have a healthy puberty with their first menstruation at exactly the age range they should be, which is around 11-14 years.