Girls who followed a healthy diet during childhood are more likely to start their periods at an older age compared to those who ate an unhealthy diet as a child, a new study has claimed.
Researchers have found that a healthy diet during childhood can delay menarche, regardless of BMI or height.
Starting your period at an earlier age is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, the study has reported.
Lead author Professor Holly Harris said: “I think our findings highlight the need for all children and adolescents to have access to healthy meal options, and the importance of school-based breakfasts and lunches being based on evidence-based guidelines.”
As part of the trial, the team of researchers examined more than 7,500 children from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) in the USA.
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Professor Harris explained: “In previous work that we had conducted in the Nurses’ Health Study II, an ongoing prospective cohort, we observed a higher risk of breast cancer among people who consumed an inflammatory-promoting diet during adolescence and early adulthood.
“Following these results, we were interested in understanding whether earlier life dietary intake might influence breast cancer through impact on risk factors for breast cancer that occur between early life and breast cancer, such as age at menarche.”
She added: “This led to the current study where we examined the impact of dietary patterns on age at menarche.”
Each participant filled in a food survey to outline their dietary patterns before they started their periods.
Academics then used the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) to assess the girls’ diets.
With the AHEI, people are awarded more points for eating healthier foods such as vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and fewer points for unhealthy foods, including trans fats, salt and red and processed meats.
Whereas the EDIP scores diets based on how likely they are to cause inflammation in the body. Foods associated with higher inflammation include red and processed meat, high-energy drinks, meat from animal organs and refined grains.
A total of 6,992 girls – 93% of the whole group – had their first period during the study. The researchers found that the participants with the highest AHEI score were 8% less likely to have their first period within the next month compared to the 20% of girls who had the lowest AHEI score.
Meanwhile, the participants with the highest EDIP score were 15% more likely to have their first period in the next month compared to those with the lowest EDIP score.
Professor Harris said: “We observed that these two dietary patterns were associated with age at menarche, indicating that a healthier diet was linked to menstrual periods starting at an older age.
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“Importantly, these results were independent of BMI and height, demonstrating the importance of a healthy diet regardless of body size.”
She added: “As earlier age at menarche is associated with multiple later life outcomes, including higher risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, this may be an important period for trying to reduce the risk of these chronic diseases.
“As this is the first study to look at these specific dietary patterns it is important to examine the association in other populations.”
She continued: “It also highlights that eating a healthy diet, which we know is associated with chronic disease outcomes in later life, could also have benefits in adolescence.
“Generally, eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, nuts and legumes, polyunsaturated fatty acids, while limiting intake of red and processed meats, refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages and added salt, benefits everyone regardless of age.”
Read the full study in Human Reproduction.
