A study by Harvard scientists proves that sweet sodas increase the risk of cancer in girls.
Regular drinking of sugary sodas increases the risk of breast cancer in girls, warn researchers at Harvard Medical School, a medical school at Harvard University.
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Drinking one and a half cans of sugary sodas a day puts girls into puberty earlier, which increases the risk of breast cancer. The earlier they mature, the greater the risk – researchers estimate that each year the risk of developing breast cancer increases by five percent.
A survey of 5583 participants aged nine to 14 found that girls who regularly drank more than 1,5 soda drinks a day had their first period 2,7 months earlier than those who drank no more than two cans of soda weekly.
Beverages containing sugar increase the amount of insulin in the body, which in turn leads to an increase in the levels of sex hormones, manifested by earlier onset of menstruation.
‘Our study is one more argument for how dangerous is the widespread consumption of sweet drinks by children and adolescents,’ says Professor Karin Michels.
– Child obesity is the most talked about. We have noticed that the first menstruation occurs earlier in girls who drink large amounts of sugar-sweetened soda, regardless of their body mass index.
– This is an important discovery due to the phenomenon of girls entering puberty earlier, which is observed in developed countries. So far, the reasons for the massive shift in puberty have not been established. Our research indicates that frequent consumption of sweetened drinks is associated with earlier periods.
– It is estimated that a year earlier increases the risk of breast cancer by five percent … Increasing menstruation by 2,7 months also increases the risk of breast cancer.
– We cannot ignore the fact that the consumption of sweetened beverages is related to public health, and especially to the incidence of breast cancer. Contrary to most factors influencing menstruation, consumption of sugary sodas can be limited.
A study published in the journal Human Reproduction found that among girls who consumed more than 1,5 servings of sugary drinks a day, the likelihood of having their first period a month earlier increased by 24 percent.
The average age at which girls who drank large amounts of sugary drinks had their first periods is 12,8 years. For comparison, those who rarely drank such drinks started menstruating at the age of 13.
At the start of the experiment, none of the girls were menstruating. Even after taking into account the additional factor of body mass index, the effect of sweet sodas at the time of the first period was still significant.
Girls who drank the most of these drinks were more likely to have a period per month by 22 percent than girls who drank sugary drinks less frequently.
Earlier research has suggested that there is a link between accelerated puberty and increased caffeine consumption, but neither sugar nor caffeine provided sufficient explanation for scientists. A Harvard study has found that the culprit may be additional sugar consumed in the form of soda.
‘This study confirms how important it is for children to switch to drinking water,’ emphasizes Dr Michels. – We recently proved that early onset of menstruation is associated with childhood obesity. This time we showed that there are other factors at play as well.