Ok, so we are all highly aware that soda is not good for our health,
and comes with a laundry list of dangers. However, the scary thing is,
previously unknown dangers of soda are being discovered seemingly all
the time.
The latest of these dangers? Researchers from Harvard University
Medical School have released a new study which suggests that pre-teen
and adolescent girls who drink a lot of sugary soda may start their
menstrual cycles earlier than girls who don’t drink soda.
While this may not seem like that big of a deal, early menstruation
has been linked to health problems, including an increased risk of
breast cancer.
For
their experiment, researchers surveyed the health history, as well as
eating and soda-drinking habits, of just over 5,500 girls between the
ages of 9 and 14. The eating habits of the girls were assessed via
questionnaires, and their age of first menstruation was noted.
Results showed that the girls who reported drinking over a serving
and a half of soda sweetened with sugar per day had a 24 percent higher
likelihood of starting their first menstrual cycle the following month.
On average, the girls that drank the most soda started their periods 2.7
months before the girls that drank the least.
Interestingly, diet soda was not found to have this effect – don’t even think about it, it’s seriously NOT healthy! Fruit juices didn’t have this effect either.
As far as breast cancer risk, previous research has estimated that
for every year earlier that a girl matures, her breast cancer risk later
on in her life increases by about five percent.
According
to study leader, Karin Michels, “our study adds to increasing concern
about the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks among
children and adolescents in the USA and elsewhere. The main concern is
about childhood obesity, but our study suggests that age of first
menstruation (menarche) occurred earlier, independently of body mass
index, among girls with the highest consumption of drinks sweetened with
added sugar.”
Why are we allowing young girls’ breast cancer risk to go up before
they are even old enough to have breasts. Soda is ridiculously
dangerous, this is not the first study to say so, and as parents, we
have a say as to whether it is in the home or not.
If there’s one menu item to talk to your kids about giving up for good, it’s definitely soda.
-The Alternative Daily
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