Girls with healthier diets tend to get their first periods later, researchers say

Girls pinch healthier diets whitethorn beryllium much apt to get their first periods astatine an older age, according to a caller study. 

Girls typically participate puberty betwixt nan ages of 8 and 13, and get their periods astir 2 years aft their breasts statesman developing.

But starting puberty and menstruation astatine younger ages has been linked to wellness risks later successful life, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and bosom cancer.

The caller study aimed to uncover really fare whitethorn impact nan property erstwhile girls statesman menstruating. It followed much than 7,500 children aged 9 to 14, search their diets and erstwhile their first periods started.

The findings were published successful nan diary Human Reproduction. 

Girls pinch nan healthiest diets were 16 per cent little apt to commencement their periods astatine an early property compared to girls pinch nan poorest diets.

Meanwhile, girls who ate he astir inflammatory foods were 15 per cent much apt to statesman menstruating earlier.

The results held up sloppy of nan girls’ tallness aliases assemblage weight, “demonstrating nan value of a patient fare sloppy of assemblage size,” Holly Harris, nan study’s lead writer and an subordinate professor astatine nan Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre successful nan US, said successful a statement.

More investigation needed to corroborate findings

Dr Imogen Roger, a investigation chap from Brighton & Sussex Medical School who was not progressive pinch nan study, cautioned against drafting excessively beardown of a conclusion from nan report, telling Euronews Health that “there is immoderate imaginable for ‘reverse causation’”. 

“Diet was mentioned adjacent to nan clip of menarche successful astir of nan girls,” Roger said.

“There is grounds that fare value falls from puerility to adolescence, truthful it is imaginable that timing of puberty is causing nan ‘inflammatory’ diet, alternatively than nan different measurement around”.

Further investigation is needed to understand why fare and menstrual timing look to beryllium linked, Roger said.

But Harris said that fixed nan known wellness risks tied to earlier menstruation, it could beryllium particularly important to guarantee children person entree to patient foods astir nan clip they statesman puberty.

The findings, she said, underscore “the request for each children and adolescents to person entree to patient repast options, and nan value of school-based breakfasts and lunches being based connected evidence-based guidelines”.