Chemical Found in Everyday Foods Linked to Earlier Puberty in Girls
Early puberty has been linked to higher risks of heart, metabolic and mental health issues, plus some cancers later in life.
A study from Spain has found a potential link between earlier puberty in girls and the presence of a chemical residue on common foods. Researchers from the INMA project followed 506 girls from ages 7 to 10, measuring their urine for pesticide metabolites. Higher levels of ethylene thiourea (ETU), a breakdown product of fungicides like mancozeb, were associated with a 32 to 39 percent increased likelihood of earlier menarche, the first menstrual period.
While the study doesn't prove direct causation, it adds to concerns about the growing trend of earlier puberty onset, which has been linked to various health issues later in life. The average age of menarche in the study was just over 12 years old, though it ranged from 9 to 15. The researchers also noted an opposite association with another pesticide marker, where girls with detectable levels of a chlorpyrifos metabolite, TCPy, tended to reach menarche later.
They emphasized the study's observational nature and limitations, such as relying on single urine samples to estimate exposure, but stressed its value as some of the first prospective evidence linking modern pesticide exposure to puberty timing in girls.
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