Puberty is a natural phase in a child’s life when their bodies begin to develop into an adult. It is the transitionary stage in life, and the average age to start puberty for girls being 11 and for boys 12. The National Health Services UK explains that it is normal to begin puberty at any point between 8-13 in girls and 9-14 in boys. If it is later than the average age, there isn’t much to worry about. However, if it starts earlier then it is best to consult a doctor. While there are no clear causes of early puberty, according to the NHS it could be triggered by a brain tumor in some cases, a genetic disorder, or it could be due to issues with ovaries and thyroid glands as well. A new study hints that eating lots of sugar and fake sugars (called artificial sweeteners) might make kids go through puberty sooner than usual. This is especially true for children who already have certain genes that make them more likely to experience early puberty. Researchers presented these findings at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco. Key Sweeteners Implicated The study pointed fingers at several common sweeteners. These include regular sugar, the artificial sweetener aspartame, sucralose, and glycyrrhizin which is found in licorice root. All of these were strongly connected to a higher chance of early puberty. The more of these sweeteners kids ate, the greater their risk of hitting puberty early. Think of it like this: a little bit might not do much, but a lot could really push things along. Study Details and Findings For this study, the researchers looked at information from over 1,400 teenagers in Taiwan. Out of these, 481 had a type of early puberty called central precocious puberty. Normally, girls start puberty between ages 8 and 13, and boys between 9 and 14. But with central precocious puberty, a child's brain sends out puberty signals too early, causing their body parts that make sex hormones (like ovaries in girls or testes in boys) to start working ahead of time. Kids who go through puberty early might grow very fast at first, but then they stop growing sooner than other kids. This can lead to them being shorter adults. In the long run, they might also face higher risks of heart problems, some types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes. To figure out how much sweetener the teens were consuming, the researchers used questionnaires (like surveys) and urine samples. They also checked the teens' genes to see if they had a higher chance of central precocious puberty. Diet, Genes, and Development One of the main points of the study is how what kids eat now – especially sweetened foods – might interact with their genes to influence when they start growing up. Earlier research also showed that some sweeteners can directly affect the body's hormones and the bacteria in the gut that play a role in puberty. For example, a certain artificial sweetener can trigger the release of puberty-related hormones, and the licorice root extract can change gut bacteria and affect genes involved in development. This all suggests that sweetened foods and drinks could have a surprisingly big impact on how children develop. Different Effects on Boys and Girls Interestingly, the study found that different sweeteners affected boys and girls in unique ways. One specific artificial sweetener was linked to earlier puberty more in boys, while licorice root extract, that same artificial sweetener, and plain added sugars showed a stronger link to earlier puberty in girls. This highlights that the effects of sweeteners can be different for male and female bodies. These findings are important for families, doctors who treat children, and public health officials. The study suggests that if we know a child's genetic risk and help them reduce their intake of sweeteners, we might be able to prevent early puberty and its potential long-term health problems. This could lead to new guidelines on what children eat and drink to support healthier growth.