According to Gallup, about 48 % of Americans consume soft drinks daily. It is known that soft drinks cause cavity and obesity. The recent study sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and age at menarche in a prospective study of US girls, from Harvard University found that there is a significant relationship between consuming soft drinks and breast cancer. An early menarche is a risk factor for breast cancer (menarche is the first occurrence of menstruation).

          Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and age at menarche in a prospective study of US girls found that sugar-sweetened beverages triggers early menarche. Girls between the age of 9 to 18 who consumed more than 1.5 servings (one serving is 12oz) of sugar-sweetened drinks per day experienced menarche 2.7 months earlier than girls who drink soft drinks relatively less than that.

According to Age at menarche and racial comparisons in US girls, average menarche for American girls is 12.43 years. Having menarche before 11 years old is considered an early menarche while experiencing menarche after 13 years old is considered a late menarche. There is a 5% increase in breast cancer diagnosis in women who experienced an early menarche. Ultimately, consuming soft drinks increases the chances of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

There is more awareness of the risks and diseases soft drinks can bring. Soft drinks can cause all sorts of medical conditions – ranging from cavities and tooth decay to obesity, diabetes, and cancer. It’s important that parents limit their child’s soft drink intake – or better yet, remove soft drinks from their child’s diet entirely.

Sources:

http://www.ascopost.com/issues/april-15,-2013/effects-of-menarche-and-menopause-on-breast-cancer-risk-meta-analysis-findings.aspx

http://www.gallup.com/poll/156116/Nearly-Half-Americans-Drink-Soda-Daily.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerglossary/index.aspx?letter=m

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/01/16/humrep.deu349.short

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12509562

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20021009/girls-menstruating-earlier

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20021009/girls-menstruating-earlier