Children who consume a diet packed with sweeteners may be at higher risk of reaching puberty earlier, concerning research suggests.
Commonly-used sweeteners including aspartame, found in drinks like Diet Coke and products like Extra chewing gum and Muller Light yoghurts as sugar alternatives, have long been linked to certain cancers and heart issues.
But now, Taiwanese experts have found that high levels of the additives could also trigger central precocious puberty—where the first signs of puberty emerge far earlier than normal, typically before the age of eight in girls and nine in boys.
Higher consumption of 'added sugars', meaning those above the natural content of a food or drink item, was also linked with an earlier puberty.
