Early sexual maturity through much meat

High meat consumption can cause premature menstruation in girls.

(12.06.2010) High consumption of meat during childhood may cause early onset of menstrual bleeding. A scientific study has shown that a very high intake of meat causes girls to become sexually mature earlier than normal. The nutritional study looked into the question of why many younger girls use menstruation earlier and earlier.

In the course of the British study, the eating behavior of about 3,000 girls was examined. It turned out that in many girls who eat a lot of meat, the sexual maturity occurs earlier and therefore the period occurs at an early age. Meat has a high content of zinc, whites and iron. The high concentration of nutrients prepare the body for pregnancy. In addition, young women who are more likely to become pregnant show an increased risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and heart disease, said the researcher of Imogen Rogers of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Brighton.

The long-term study began in the 1990s. The eating behavior of a total of 3298 girls from the southwestern region of England was examined. The parents filled out a meal plan and recorded everything their children ate during the third year of life. The study was then repeated again when the girls were already seven years old. The researchers divided the participants into two groups. In the first group were the girls who had their menstrual bleeding before the fixed age limit of 12 years and eight months. In the second group were the girls, who got their first period afterwards. Using these two categories, the scientists were able to observe whether eating behavior affects the onset age of the first menstruation.

In the evaluation of the results, it was noticeable that the girls who consumed a great deal of meat at school age were already sexually mature before the age limit. The share was 49 percent. Among the girls who ate little meat, the rate of premature sexual maturity was only 35 percent. The scientists now want to undertake further studies in order to deepen the results. The study showed that extreme meat consumption should be avoided. Further results can be read in the journal "Public Health Nutrition". (Sb)

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Picture credits: Dieter Schütz / Pixelio.de.