According to a new study, consumption of a lot of sugary drinks may lead to early puberty among young girls.

A new Harvard researchers report said girls who consumed a lot of sugary drinks may enter puberty earlier than girls who do not consume a lot of sugary drinks. The research study included 5,600 girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years during the years between 1996 and 2001. They found that girls who drank more than 1.5 servings of sugary drinks a day had their first period 2.7 months before those who did not consume as much sugary drinks.

The study was not influenced by girls' body mass index or the amount of food intake or if they exercised, according to the researchers. They said that the average age at the first period among girls, who consume sugary drinks was 12.8 years, while the same was 13 years for those drinking the least.

Jenny Carwile, a postdoctoral associate at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston and the study first author said, "Starting periods early is a risk factor for depression during adolescence and breast cancer during adulthood. Thus, our findings have implications beyond just starting menstruation early."