Nutrition Factors Influencing Age of Menarche

Jessica Plasencia
FSN 310-01
 Nutrition Factors Influencing Age of Menarche
The age of menarche has been decreasing since the early 1900’s and through today has

fallen by nearly 5 years (McKie, 2012). Menarche is the first occurrence of the female menstrual

bleeding and a monumental event in female puberty. The decrease in age of the onset of

menarche has been linked to adverse, long-term physical and mental health effects. Although age

at onset of menarche is highly influenced by race and family history, there are numerous

controllable, and in most cases avoidable, external factors that influence the possible onset of

menarche and the future health of the individual

A study conducted by the pediatric clinic at Duke University Medical Center in North

Carolina found that in 1920 the average age of menarche was 14.6 years old (McKie, 2012).

With every year this number seems to steadily drop with the average age in 2010 being 10.5

years old (McKie, 2012). Body fat percentage and onset of menarche are directly correlated.

Hormones are stored in fat. In order to begin menarche, a young girl must have the proper

amount of fat stores and hormones in her body (Kohlen, 2018). A girl with very low-fat stores

will not have enough estrogen and other hormones needed to spark the transition and will begin

menarche later than average. On the other hand, if a young girl has an excess amount of body fat,

she will have an excess amount of hormones in her body and will likely begin menarche much

younger than average (Kohlen, 2018).

Many foods are suspected as being potentially responsible for the early onset of

menarche because they either support a lifestyle that could allow for excess body fat, or because

they contain hormones that could aid in inducing menstruation. Some primary foods in question

are animal products, soy products, and “junk foods”. Animal products, primarily milk, are very

controversial due to their high amounts of saturated fats and hormones. Whether the milk comes
from a female cow, goat, etc., the female passes a small amount of estrogen and progesterone in

her milk. Regardless of this transfer of hormones, the Growing Up Today Study conducted with

over 5,000 US girls concluded that the hormones in milk have a very weak association between

consumption and early onset of menarche (Carwile, 2015). However, the daily consumption of

dairy is correlated with a higher intake of meat (Wiley, 2011). Red meats like beef, lamb, pork,

and veal have been positively correlated with an increased BMI-for-age, meaning a higher than

normal storage of body fat relative to height (Jansen, 2016). Higher intake of red meats has been

linked to an earlier onset of menarche because these foods are energy dense, meaning that they

are high in calories relative to their weight and can contribute to more stored body fat. Fatty fish,

which often contain much less saturated fat, have been linked to a later or delayed age of

menarche (Jansen, 2016).

Another possible influencer in the onset of menarche is soy and soy isoflavone

consumption. Soy products are targeted as a possible reason for early age of menarche because

of high levels of phytoestrogen, an estrogen occurring naturally in legumes (Segovia-Siapco,

2014). Although phytoestrogen has been found to speed up puberty in some animals, there has

been no correlation between soy and soy isoflavone consumption and early onset of menarche in

humans. Even with a current increase in popularity of plant-based soy alternatives, the projected

likelihood of soy affecting the menstrual cycle is very slim (Segovia-Siapco, 2014). These

assumptions have been made based on long term studies of the Adventist Christians who have a

very high intake of soy and soy products with an unaffected age of menarche.

Like red meat, “junk food” consumption has been targeted as a possible factor for

influencing age of menarche because of the high calorie, low fiber, and high fat nutritional

content (Surya, 2018). With the already established notion that a high body fat composition
causes early onset of menarche, a diet high in “junk food” is one that supports an energy dense

lifestyle. Excess nutrients are positively correlated with fat accumulation and increased

hormones, like leptin, which are formed by fat and signal the start of menstruation (Surya, 2018).

A diet high in saturated fats and other dietary fats have been shown to increase blood estrogen

(Segovia-Siapco, 2018). In fact, the correlation is so strong, that a study conducted on sixth

grade girls in Indonesia found that children who consumed “junk food” more that twice a week

had a 189% higher probability of experiencing early menarche when compared with a child who

consumed “junk food” 2 times or less per week (Surya, 2018).

Food status and exercise levels have also been observed to effect the age at which

menstruation begins. Girls of families who are in a lower socioeconomic status were associated

with having an earlier than average age of menarche (Deardorff, 2014). Girls with low income

families are more likely to be consuming “junk foods” or highly processed foods because they

are cheap. But girls who were faced with severe food insecurity and girls of parents who were

unemployed were correlated with entering menarche later than average (Belachew, 2011). These

correlations can likely be explained by food availability, and by association body composition. A

low-income family will be more inclined to choose cheaper, energy dense meals. However, a

family facing severe food insecurity might skip meals to save money and stunt the onset of

menarche due to the lack of fat stores. Girls who have a low BMI due to vigorous physical

activity are similarly associated with having a decreased level of estrogen secreted and late onset

of menarche (Belachew, 2011). While girls who had a larger body figure at age 10 were

associated with a younger age of menarche and a higher likelihood of continued above average

BMI into adulthood (He, 2010).

 The early onset of menarche might seem like a mundane “draw of the cards” event, but

the age at which menarche begins could pose many risk factors affecting adulthood. When

compared to children who began menarche at a later age, girls who begin menstruation early

exhibit a higher secretion of estrogen and progesterone in the ovaries which influences early

sexual maturity (Surya Anita, 2018). If menstruation begins at a younger age, the female will

become curious regarding sexuality at a younger than average age. This could potentially lead to

more teen pregnancy and with that, an increased risk of abortion, adoption, and maternal

mortality (Surya Anita, 2018).

The first line of defense for a healthy life is eating a balanced diet and participating in

daily physical activity. All possible risk factors involved in triggering the early onset of

menarche can be correlated to the overall body composition of a young girl. Although some

things, like food insecurity, are harder to control, keeping a healthy body fat composition is the

best way to ensure that menstruation begins at a normal age.

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