This is something we don’t often hear much about. But when we do, doctors may strike us as overly concerned. Early puberty may = serious concerns. And more kids are suffering them, long and short-term – due to over-cosumption of sweeteners…
When Kids hit puberty too early, the artificial sweeteners they encounter
may have a surprising and powerful impact on their development.
Now, certain groups of kids known to be genetically predisposed to early puberty seem to be encountering certain sweeteners earlier than they used to. And they’re entering puberty much sooner than is desirable.
What they did…
The new findings come from the Taiwan Pubertal Longitudinal Study (TPLS), begun in 2018. The study included data from 1,407 teens, 481 of whom were diagnosed with a general condition known as Central Precotious Puberty. The researchers assessed teens’ sweetener intake through validated questionnaires and testing of urine samples. Genetic predisposition was quantified using polygenic risk scores derived from 19 genes related to central precocious puberty. Early puberty was diagnosed based on medical exams, hormone levels and scans.
What they found…
Kids who start puberty too soon may develop emotional distress, attain shorter adult height, and suffer increased risk of future metabolic and reproductive disorders.
The current study highlights how dietary habits – particularly the consumption of artificial sweeteners in no- or low-sugar fizzy beverages – can influence hormonal and gut bacteria changes,especially in affected kids with certain genetic predispositions.
“It also highlights gender differences in how sweeteners affect boys and girls, adding an important layer to our understanding of individualized health risks,” says Dr Yang-Ching Chen, M.D., Ph.D., of Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan.
The takeaway
“[Our findings] suggest that what children eat and drink, especially products with sweeteners, may have a surprising and powerful impact on their development,” Chen said.
“The findings are directly relevant to families, pediatricians and public health authorities,” Chen added. “All of whom can play important intradictory roles the consumption of artificial sweeteners by their growing kids.
My take
What may be more important is that the findings of Chen’s study could lead to better understanding of how consumption of common sweeteners works in puberty, and its long-term health consequences. “This could lead to new dietary guidelines or risk assessment tools for children, supporting healthier development,” Chen suggests.
As I said at the opening of this post… We don’t hear a lot about early puberty these days. But the growth in use of artificial sweeteners and the increasing potential scope of their ill effects – particularly those ‘its long-term health consequences’ – is something we should all be concerned with…
~ Maggie J.