Drinking more than one sweetened beverage per day could lead to early puberty in children, but the risk might be mitigated by drinking two cups of probiotic beverages per day, a Taiwanese medical study showed.
The study, which tracked the development of 2,819 children of both sexes from age 11 to 18, showed that children who consumed more than 480ml of sweetened beverages per day underwent puberty six months earlier than their peers.
Study participants who reported early puberty were 3cm to 5cm shorter than those who did not, said Chen Yang-ching (陳揚卿), an assistant professor in Taipei Medical University’s Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Science and a coauthor of the study.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Precocious puberty is linked to heightened risk of metabolic syndromes, fatty liver, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer and mental health problems including depression, Chen said, adding that children with the condition can be treated.
The study found that drinking 480ml of probiotic beverages per day appeared to alleviate early puberty via an unknown mechanism likely related to the gut microbiome, she said, adding that further research was planned.
The study was published in the journal Public Health.
Children should not consume more than 25g of sugar per day, WHO guidelines say.
Sugary beverages can be substituted with natural juice or soymilk, Chen said.
The research was funded by the National Science and Technology Council and conducted in collaboration with Lee Yung-ling (李永凌), an assistant researcher at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chen said.
A total of 30.9 million liters of carbonated drinks were sold in Taiwan last year, a 52 percent increase from 20.3 million liters the previous year, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS