Dietary Intake and Early Menarche
Richard L. Siemens, JD, MD
Advisor: Gonzalo Bearman, MD
Preceptor: Diane B. Wilson, EdD
PURPOSE: To examine whether there is an association between early menarche and dietary factors, including BMI and dietary intake of calcium, phosphorus, total fat, fiber, and fatty acids, using data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
METHODS: Secondary analysis of interview and examination data on a total of 640 subjects, aged between 12 and 16 years, who had not used hormonal contraception prior to menarche. Early menarche was defined in this study as the first period occurring prior to age 12. Nutritional information was taken from the individual foods files on the interview sections of the NHANES III data.
RESULTS. There were significant negative associations found between early menarche and white (non-Hispanic) race/ethnicity, age and daily tetradecanoic acid intake. Higher BMI served as an effect modifier favoring early menarche among non-Hispanic Black participants. No association, however, was found between early menarche and intake of calcium, phosphorus, total fat, or fiber.
CONCLUSIONS. While no association was found between calcium and early menarche, dietary intake of one saturated fatty acid, tetradecanoic (myristic), was found to predict early menarche, as can age and race. Dietary variety in the U.S. has narrowed in recent years, involving, for many children, lower consumption of dairy products, the main source of myristic acid. This decrease in variety appears to coincide with the trend toward early menarche. Further investigation is warranted into limited dietary intake and its relationship to reproductive development.
