Common sweeteners may increase early puberty in children — Report

Consuming certain sweeteners commonly found in foods and beverages may increase the risk of early puberty in children, particularly among those who are genetically predisposed.

Specific sweeteners, which included aspartame, sucralose, glycyrrhizin, and added sugars, were linked to a higher risk of central precocious puberty, a condition where puberty begins unusually early, typically before age 8 in girls and 9 in boys.

Diet drinks, such as Coke Zero, are the major sources of non-nutritive sweeteners, especially artificial sweeteners aspartame and ace-K (acesulfame potassium).

In a new study, researchers said that sucralose consumption was linked to a higher risk in boys, while glycyrrhizin, sucralose, and added sugars were associated with a higher risk in girls.

The findings come from a large-scale study that was presented at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco.

The study, part of the ongoing Taiwan Pubertal Longitudinal Study (TPLS) launched in 2018, analysed data on 1,407 adolescents, of whom 481 were diagnosed with central precocious puberty (CPP).

Researchers assessed dietary intake using questionnaires and urine testing and measured genetic risk using polygenic risk scores based on 19 genes related to early puberty.

Early puberty, or central precocious puberty, is becoming more common and can have lasting health consequences, including emotional distress, shorter adult height, and increased risk of future metabolic and reproductive disorders.

Yang-Ching Chen, M.D., Ph.D., of Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan, in a study, said the study is one of the first to connect modern dietary habits—specifically sweetener intake—with both genetic factors and early puberty development in a large, real-world cohort.

Chen emphasised that monitoring sweetener intake and considering a child’s genetic predisposition may be critical in preventing early puberty and its associated long-term health risks.

Chen said these results are directly relevant to families, paediatricians, and public health authorities, suggesting that screening for genetic risk and moderating sweetener intake could help prevent early puberty and its long-term health consequences.

In response to the findings, Laurent Oger, director general at the International Sweeteners Association (ISA), declared that unmeasured confounders, reverse causation, and dietary recall bias from the self-reported sweetener intake method may have influenced the reported associations.

“All approved low/no calorie sweeteners undergo a thorough safety evaluation before being authorised for use and food safety bodies around have consistently confirmed their safety based on such comprehensive assessments,” he added.

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