A Healthy Diet in Childhood Linked to Later Menstrual Periods

Eating a healthy diet during childhood has been linked to later menstrual periods, according to a new study published in Human Reproduction. Researchers found that girls who consumed a healthier diet were more likely to have their first period at an older age than those with less healthy diets.

The study’s findings remained unchanged even when taking into account body mass index (BMI) or height, both of which have been associated with earlier onset of periods. This suggests that a healthy diet is crucial for girls’ reproductive health, regardless of their weight or stature.

Researchers used data from over 7,500 children aged between 9 and 14, who were enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) in the USA. The participants completed questionnaires about their diets at two different times: when they joined the study and then every one to three years thereafter. They also reported their age when their first period started.

The researchers assessed the girls’ diets against two established dietary patterns: the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP). The AHEI scores diets based on healthier foods, such as vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. The EDIP scores diets in a way that reflects their overall potential for causing inflammation in the body.

The results showed that girls with the highest AHEI score, indicating they had the healthiest diet, were 8% less likely to have their first period within the next month compared to those with the lowest AHEI score. Similarly, girls with the most inflammatory diet, as indicated by EDIP scores, were 15% more likely to have their first period in the next month.

The study’s lead author, Holly Harris, stated that these findings highlight the importance of providing all children and adolescents with access to healthy meal options. She also emphasized the significance of school-based breakfasts and lunches being based on evidence-based guidelines.

These results suggest that a healthier diet may be associated with menstrual periods starting at an older age, which is an important period for reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer. The researchers now plan to investigate how childhood and adolescent dietary patterns relate to characteristics of menstrual cycles in adulthood.

The study’s strengths include collecting data on diet prospectively and examining whether BMI and height influence the association with age at menarche. However, limitations exist, such as information on diet, weight, height, and age at menarche being collected via questionnaires, which may be subject to error. Additionally, the participants were predominantly white, and the researchers were unable to see if results varied by race.

The Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) study has been a decade in the making, and this month, researchers will gather in Acciaroli, Italy to review their progress and plan their next steps. Launched in 2016, the CIAO study seeks to identify key factors that promote healthy aging and extreme longevity.

The region of Cilento in southern Italy is home to a remarkable 300 residents who are over 100 years old and in robust health. This area was also the original source of research for Ancel Keys, the American physiologist who studied the influence of diet on health and promoted the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Scientists hope to reveal the longevity secrets of the Cilento region by using an array of tools to measure metabolomics, biomes, cognitive dysfunction, and protein biomarkers for risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, kidney disease, and cancer. They will also conduct psychological, social, and lifestyle surveys to gain a more comprehensive understanding.

“There is no single secret to living a long, healthy life,” said Salvatore Di Somma, MD, the study’s lead Italian investigator. “It is many secrets, most of which we are only beginning to understand and more importantly, learn how they might be applied to the well-being of everybody.”

The CIAO study is a multi-institution collaboration that includes Sanford Burnham Prebys, an independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in San Diego, the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at University of California San Diego, University La Sapienza in Rome, and Great Health Science.

A symposium will take place on May 22-23, featuring scientists describing their work and findings. The event is titled “CIAO Study: A decade of science on healthy aging, stem cells, and the revealed secrets of longevity.” Understanding how we age and how we might age better is a timeless pursuit, said David Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Current CIAO projects are leveraging genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, metabolic, proteomic, and environmental analyses to identify key contributors to extreme longevity. Researchers are using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived from the centenarians to model age-related and metabolic stresses in human 3D organoids.

“This study will provide new insights into the development of regenerative medicine strategies for promoting healthy aging and treating age-related conditions,” said Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD, professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Preliminary findings are expected to be presented at the symposium.

A groundbreaking study by researchers from North Carolina State University has revealed that the source of protein in an animal’s diet can significantly impact the composition and function of the gut microbiome. This tiny ecosystem within our digestive system plays a crucial role in our overall health, influencing various aspects such as digestion, immune response, and even brain function.

The study focused on mice fed diets containing just one type of protein source for a week at a time. The researchers were particularly interested in examining how different proteins (e.g., egg whites, brown rice, soy, yeast) affected the gut microbiome. Using advanced techniques such as integrated metagenomics-metaproteomics, they found that the mice’s gut microbiome changed dramatically with each change in protein source.

The biggest functional effects were observed with diets containing brown rice, yeast, and egg whites. The study showed that these proteins had a significant impact on amino acid metabolism and complex sugar degradation, which can have implications for gut health.

For instance, the researchers found that mice fed diets high in amino acids (found in egg whites) tended to break down those proteins instead of producing their own amino acids from scratch. This process, known as amino acid degradation, can lead to the production of toxins and affect the gut-brain axis.

The study also highlighted the importance of glycans, long chains of sugars attached to dietary proteins, in changing gut microbiome function. Multiple protein sources (soy, rice, yeast, egg white) caused microbes in the gut to alter their enzyme production, sometimes substantially.

One particular bacterium, found in mice fed an egg-white diet, took over and activated enzymes that break down glycans, similar to those produced by bacteria found in mucin, a substance lining the gut. This could lead to damage of the intestinal lining and negative impacts on gut health.

The researchers emphasize that their study lays the groundwork for future investigations into how different protein sources affect the gut microbiome. They note that while their artificial diets may amplify results, they have shown significant effects in mice fed mixed protein diets.

This research has important implications for our understanding of how food influences gut health and overall well-being. By examining the complex interactions between dietary proteins, microbes, and gut function, we can gain insights into preventing and treating gastrointestinal diseases that affect millions worldwide.