Sweeteners Linked To Early Puberty In Kids – What Parents Need To Know

Sweeteners can crop up in everything from squash and fizzy drinks to desserts, sweets and even ready meals – and a new study warns they could be increasing the risk of early puberty in children. In the UK, there are several sweeteners approved for use, such as: acesulfame K, aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sorbitol, steviol glycosides, sucralose and xylitol.Research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco this month suggested consuming aspartame, sucralose, glycyrrhizin and added sugars was “significantly associated” with a higher risk of early puberty, especially in children with certain genetic traits.The more of these sweeteners the teens consumed, the higher their risk of central precocious puberty (early puberty), researchers claimed. Dr Yang-Ching Chen, of Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, said: “This study is one of the first to connect modern dietary habits – specifically sweetener intake – with both genetic factors and early puberty development in a large, real-world cohort.”What does ‘early puberty’ mean?Puberty is when a child’s body begins to develop and change as they become an adult. This typically happens around the age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys – although it may happen sooner or later. If puberty begins before the age of eight in girls, and nine in boys, this is known as precocious puberty. When this occurs, parents are advised to speak to their GP for advice.Early puberty has been associated with metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In girls, it’s also been linked to poor mental health.Professor Rod Mitchell, an expert in developmental endocrinology at the University of Edinburgh, told HuffPost UK obesity is a known risk factor for altered timing of puberty – as well as other long-term health problems – so “maintaining a healthy weight in childhood is important”.His advice to parents is that “a slightly early start [breasts starting to develop before 8 years old] to puberty is relatively common in girls and is not usually associated with health problems”.“However, if puberty starts very early or you are concerned about an early puberty in a girl you should consult with your doctor,” he said.“Early puberty in a boy [testicles enlarging before 9 years old] is less common. If puberty starts early you should consult with your doctor.”The NHS suggested that in some cases, early puberty could be a sign of an underlying condition that may need to be treated, which is why speaking with a GP is recommended. What did the new study find?The new findings came from the Taiwan Pubertal Longitudinal Study (TPLS), which began in 2018 and included data from 1,407 teens – 481 of which were diagnosed with early puberty.The researchers assessed teens’ sweetener intake through validated questionnaires and testing of urine samples. Early puberty was diagnosed based on medical exams, hormone levels and scans. Researchers said sucralose consumption was linked to a higher risk of early puberty in boys.In girls, consumption of glycyrrhizin, sucralose and added sugars was associated with a higher risk of early puberty.“The findings are directly relevant to families, paediatricians and public health authorities,” Dr Chen said, adding that “moderating sweetener intake could help prevent early puberty and its long-term health consequences”.Advice for parentsThe study is observational – so it doesn’t necessarily mean sweeteners are causing early puberty. However experts do advise switching to water over sweetened drinks, where possible. Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine and honorary consultant at University of Glasgow, told HuffPost UK: “This looks like an observational study and so could be highly confounded. For example, we know obesity leads to earlier puberty and it may be that children who are more overweight start to drink more artificially sweetened drinks to try to slow further weight gain.“This means it could be obesity and not the drinks that are [the] cause. I would rather children drink water but, of course, drinks without high sugar, even if artificially sweetened, are to be preferred than those with.” Dr Channa Jayasena, consultant in Reproductive Endocrinology and Andrology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, added: “We already know that artificial sweeteners trigger many of the ‘sensors’ that tell your body you are eating sugar and are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. “The researchers have presented preliminary data suggesting that children consuming artificial sweeteners were more likely to undergo early puberty. This study was observational, so it is impossible to conclude that the sweeteners caused the early puberty.”She did add however that “the results are potentially important, and suggest the need to further explore the effects of artificial sweetener use in children”.Earlier this year, the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommended that younger children should not be given food or drinks containing sweeteners at all.For older children and adults, it recommended swapping sugars for sweeteners in the short-term, with a goal to limiting intake of both.Related...Only 18% of Teens Would Vote Tomorrow – And We've Given Them No Reason ToWTF Does 'Crashing Out' Mean When Teens Say It?It’s Not Social Media – What Teens Say Is Damaging Their Mental Health Most

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