A new study shows that sweeteners in foods and beverages may significantly increase the risk of precocious puberty in children. These findings could have far-reaching implications for dietary guidelines and pediatric care.

Sweeteners are found in a wide range of everyday foods and beverages, including low-fat sodas, flavored yogurts, sugar-free gum, protein bars, breakfast cereals, and even some pediatric medications.

The study was conducted by researchers from Taipei Wan Fang Municipal Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan, and was presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, U.S., July 12-15, as reported by Newsweek.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 1,400 adolescents, 481 of whom were diagnosed with central precocious puberty, and found a strong link between sweetener consumption and central precocious puberty, a condition in which puberty begins unusually early, usually before the age of eight in girls and nine in boys.

The prevalence of centralized precocious puberty is increasing worldwide and can have lasting health consequences, including emotional challenges, short stature in adulthood, and an increased risk of reproductive and metabolic disorders later in life.

Dr. Yang Qing Chen, a doctor of medicine from Taipei Wanfang Municipal Hospital and Taipei Medical University, said: “This study is one of the first to link modern dietary habits – specifically sweetener intake – to genetic factors and the development of precocious puberty in a large real-world population.”