Sugar and sweeteners might not be safe for your children due to this reason, here’s what a new study revealed

A new study has found that sugar and artificial sweeteners might increase the risk of early puberty in children. Puberty is the stage when a child’s body changes and matures into an adult body. It usually starts between 8 and 13 for girls and 9 and 14 for boys, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Researchers at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco reported on Sunday, July 13, 2025, that sugar, aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda), and glycyrrhizin (licorice root) are all mainly linked with a higher risk of early puberty, particularly in genetically predisposed children, according to news portal US News.

The researchers underlined that the more of these sweeteners that children consumed, the greater their risk of early puberty. They analyzed data on more than 1,400 teens in Taiwan, of whom 481 experienced a form of early puberty called central precocious puberty.

Central Precocious Puberty

Central Precocious Puberty occurs in a child when the brain releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone too early, causing the testes or ovaries to start generating sex hormones, the Cleveland Clinic said, according to US News.

Children with this condition may grow quickly at first but stop earlier than usual, causing them to be shorter-than-average adults. As a long-term effect, children may be at higher risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes.

How was the research conducted?

To carry out the new study, researchers used questionnaires and urine samples to assess the intake of sweeteners by teens. They also tested their genetic predisposition using a panel of 19 genes related to central precocious puberty.

During the study, it was discovered that early puberty was not connected to certain sweeteners only, but boys and girls responded to different types of sweeteners. Sucralose increases early puberty risk in boys, while glycyrrhizin, sucralose, and added sugars increase risk in girls, results of research showed.

Researcher Dr. Yang-Ching Chen, a professor of family medicine at Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital and Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, said that the results highlight “gender differences in how sweeteners affect boys and girls.

“The findings are directly relevant to families, pediatricians, and public health authorities,” Chen said. “They suggest that screening for genetic risk and moderating sweetener intake could help prevent early puberty and its long-term health consequences. This could lead to new dietary guidelines or risk assessment tools for children, supporting healthier development.”

It is pertinent to mention that this was an observational study, and it could not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between sweeteners and early puberty. The US News report suggested that findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.