Grandfather’s environmental chemical exposures may influence when girls get first period
SAN FRANCISCO—A grandfather’s exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may impact the age when his granddaughter starts her first period, according to preliminary data being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
“Girls are starting puberty earlier than ever before, which can raise their risk for health problems later in life,” said lead researcher Xin Hu, PhD, of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Ga. “We wanted to explore why this might be happening by looking at how environmental exposures from grandparents can influence when girls get their first period.”
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances in the environment (air, soil, or water supply), food sources, personal care products, and manufactured products that interfere with the normal function of the body’s endocrine system. Since EDCs come from many different sources, people are exposed in several ways, including air, food and water. EDCs also can enter the body through the skin.
The researchers used data from the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS), a long-term study that began in the 1960s. They measured thousands of small molecules in blood samples taken from 249 couples in the 1960s. The researchers linked the couples’ chemical and metabolic profiles to the timing of puberty in their daughters and granddaughters.
The researchers studied the age at which their daughters (247 girls) and granddaughters (139 girls) started their periods. They found that while the median age of having a first period was stable between the grandmothers and their daughters, it dropped a full year from the daughters to the granddaughters, whose median year of birth was 1990.
They discovered that certain chemicals in both the mother’s and father’s blood were linked to when their descendants began puberty, with stronger effects seen in the granddaughters’ than in the daughters’ generation. Some chemicals such as phenoxyethanol, a common preservative in personal care products and foods, were linked to earlier puberty, especially when both parents had similar exposures.
“While we found that both the mother’s and father’s exposures were linked to when their daughters and granddaughters began puberty, the father’s influence was surprisingly strong,” Hu said. “Paternal exposure to environmental chemicals may play an unrecognized but critical role in shaping offspring endocrine health.”
She said this is the first population-based study to show that a father’s environment can affect reproductive development in both his daughter and granddaughter. “These findings highlight that prevention is possible if we identify mechanisms to protect future daughters and granddaughters, which cannot be effective if we do not consider the male line,” she said.
“Our results highlight the role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals during the vulnerable period of conception and pregnancy,” said senior author Barbara Cohn, PhD, MPH, of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, Calif. “This research emphasizes the lasting impact of environmental exposures on reproductive health across generations.”
# # #
Age at woman’s first period can offer clues about long-term health risks
The Endocrine Society
SAN FRANCISCO—The age at which a woman has her first period can offer valuable clues about her long-term risk for conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and reproductive health issues, according to a study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
The Brazilian study found that both early and late menarche—the age when women first get their period—are linked to different health risks. Women who had their first period before age 10 were more likely to develop obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and reproductive issues like pre-eclampsia later in life. Women who started their period after age 15 were less likely to be obese but had a higher risk of menstrual irregularities and certain heart conditions.
“We now have evidence from a large Brazilian population that confirms how both early and late puberty can have different long-term health impacts,” said study author Flávia Rezende Tinano of the University of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil. “While early menarche increases the risk for multiple metabolic and heart problems, late menarche may protect against obesity but increase certain heart and menstrual issues. Most women can remember when they had their first period, but they might not realize that it could signal future health risks. Understanding these links can help women and their doctors be more proactive about preventing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.”
Tinano said the study is one of the largest of its kind in a developing country, providing valuable data on a topic that has mostly been studied in wealthier countries. “It highlights how early and late puberty can affect a woman’s long-term health, especially in underrepresented populations like those in Latin America,” she said.
The study was part of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brazil) and evaluated data from 7,623 women ages 35 to 74. The age of their first period was categorized as early (less than 10 years old), typical (ages 10 to 15) or late (older than 15). They assessed the women’s health through interviews, physical measurements, lab tests and ultrasound imaging.
“Our findings suggest that knowing a woman’s age at her first period can help doctors identify those at higher risk for certain diseases,” Tinano said. “This information could guide more personalized screening and prevention efforts. It also emphasizes the importance of early health education for young girls and women, especially in developing countries.”
# # #
Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.
The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment