Early Menstruation and Its Health Risks: What Diet Has to Do With It

 Early Menstruation and Its Health Risks: What Diet Has to Do With It

Early onset of menstruation has long been associated with increased risks for chronic conditions such as diabetes, breast cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. A recent study adds more clarity to this connection, emphasizing that early menarche can occur independently of a girl’s height or body mass index (BMI), highlighting the crucial role that dietary habits may play.

Why Nutrition Matters for Menstrual Timing

According to lead researcher Holly Harris, MPH, ScD, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, these findings underscore the necessity of ensuring all children have access to balanced, evidence-based nutrition — particularly in school meal programs.

“We need to prioritize healthy eating options for youth across all settings,” Harris stated. “The type of food young girls eat could influence when they begin menstruating, which in turn could affect their long-term health.”

Inside the Study: Diet and Age at First Period

This large-scale prospective study followed a cohort of girls aged 9 to 14, tracking how specific dietary patterns affected the age at which they reached menarche (first menstruation). Participants completed follow-up surveys every one to three years and filled out a detailed 132-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess their eating habits.

Researchers used two key dietary scoring systems:

• Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI): A measure of diet quality based on intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and limited processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sodium.

• Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP): A dietary score that evaluates the inflammatory potential of the overall diet based on how foods influence biomarkers of inflammation.

How Diet Influenced Menarche Timing

The data revealed important trends:

• Girls with higher AHEI scores were 8% less likely to start menstruating in the following month than those with lower scores, indicating a link between a healthier diet and later menarche.

• Conversely, those with the highest EDIP scores — indicating more pro-inflammatory diets rich in processed meat, refined grains, and sugary beverages — were 15% more likely to begin menstruation sooner.

These associations held firm even after adjusting for BMI and height. Girls who had more family dinners, lower BMI, and less physical activity were more likely to have higher AHEI scores, suggesting lifestyle patterns may cluster with dietary quality.

BMI, Family Meals, and Physical Activity

While BMI and height are often linked with puberty timing, they did not significantly alter the association between diet and menarche. Interestingly, among girls with lower BMI, those following a healthier diet (as measured by AHEI) were 16% less likely to experience early menarche. In girls with higher BMI, this trend wasn’t observed, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Additionally, increased physical activity and BMI were seen in girls with high EDIP scores, reinforcing the idea that inflammation-related dietary patterns can interact with lifestyle factors.

Public Health Implications

The study’s authors emphasize that childhood and adolescence are critical windows for shaping long-term health. Later menarche, influenced by a nutritious and anti-inflammatory diet, could be one factor in reducing future disease risk.

“This is a meaningful period for chronic disease prevention,” the authors concluded. “Supporting healthy eating in early life may not only delay menstruation but also positively shape future health outcomes.”

Source:

1. “A healthy diet in childhood is linked to starting menstrual periods later, regardless of BMI or height.” EurekAlert, May 6, 2025.

2. David CP, Fest S, Cushing-Haugen K, et al. “Dietary patterns and age at menarche in a prospective study of girls in the USA.” Human Reproduction. 2025. doi:10.1093/humrep/deaf072

Dr.Ifrah Hassan Hilaac