HEALTH NEWS Lack of Vitamin D Linked to Early Onset of Menstruation

HEALTH NEWS Lack of Vitamin D Linked to Early Onset of Menstruation


Sunday, October 16, 2011 - Byron Richards, CCNPrint E-mail







From a health perspective it is not desirable to start menstruation before age 12. Early menstruation significantly increases the risk for female cancers because a woman will be exposed to higher levels of her own estrogens over the course of her life. Unfortunately, there is an alarming trend in the U.S. of earlier and earlier onset of menstruation. A new study proves that low vitamin D is one factor associated with this problem.



Various theories have been put forth as to why this trend is occurring. One of them involves the excessive exposure of children to estrogen-like chemicals in plastics and pesticides. Another involves obesity, wherein the excess estrogen in fat cells is contributing to the problem. While both of these issues are still likely factors, this new study adds the common lack of vitamin D to the issue. Millions of children lack optimal vitamin D.



The research did not attempt to explain why the lack of vitamin D would trigger the early onset of menstruation. Vitamin D is more like a hormone than a vitamin, essential to numerous aspects of health, including reproductive health. It is not surprising that a lack of it is somehow involved in the problem, although it may be years before we know why.



Thus, I will offer a preliminary guess. Vitamin D is turning out to be so important for survival that a lack of it in your body would be interpreted by your body as a threat to survival of the human race. Reproduction is vital to the survival of the human race. So a lack of vitamin D may be interpreted to mean that one had better get onto having babies quickly, because they are not likely to live that long with a vitamin D deficiency.