PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Grandfather’s environmental chemical exposures may influence when girls get first period

2025-07-13
(Press-News.org) 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.”


# # #

 

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.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Early-life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may fuel food preferences

2025-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO—Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in early life, including during gestation and infancy, results in a higher preference for sugary and fatty foods later in life, according to an animal study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are substances in the environment (air, soil or water supply), food sources, personal care products and manufactured products that interfere with the normal function ...

Age at woman’s first period can offer clues about long-term health risks

2025-07-13
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 ...

AI-powered application enables clinicians to diagnose endocrine cancers faster and more accurately

2025-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO—A novel artificial intelligence (AI) application capable of diagnosing endocrine cancers with speed and accuracy is being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. The research, presented by Jansi Rani Sethuraj, B.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N., from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, introduces a universally accessible and computationally efficient AI application. This AI application aims to democratize expert-level cancer diagnostics, ...

Obesity-associated cancers tripled nationwide over past two decades

2025-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO—Cancer deaths linked to obesity have tripled in the United States over the past two decades, according to a study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. The study, which examined more than 33,000 deaths from obesity-associated cancers, revealed sharp increases in cancer deaths, especially among women, older adults, Native Americans and Black Americans. “Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing ...

Consuming certain sweeteners may increase risk of early puberty

2025-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO—Consuming certain sweeteners commonly found in foods and beverages may increase the risk of early puberty in children, particularly among those who are genetically predisposed, according to a study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. The researchers found that consuming aspartame, sucralose, glycyrrhizin and added sugars was significantly associated with a higher risk of early puberty, especially in children with certain genetic traits. The more of these sweeteners the ...

Experts suggest screening women with diabetes for intent to conceive at every doctor visit

2025-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO—A joint guideline released today from the Endocrine Society and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) recommends women with diabetes receive proper preconception care and access to emerging diabetes technology and therapeutics to manage their blood sugar before, during and after pregnancy. Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriages or birth defects are common in individuals with pre-existing diabetes and are often related to modifiable factors such as maternal high blood sugar and body mass index (BMI). Screening women of reproductive age who have diabetes for intent to conceive at ...

Osteoporosis treatment benefits people older than 80

2025-07-12
SAN FRANCISCO—People who are older than 80 should be considered for osteoporosis treatment after a fracture to avoid further risk, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. “The burden of osteoporosis is rising as the global population ages rapidly,” said Gianina Flocco, M.D., a resident at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. “Our study supports the initiation of osteoporosis treatment after a fracture ...

Consuming more protein may protect patients taking anti-obesity drug from muscle loss

2025-07-12
SAN FRANCISCO—Women and older adults taking the anti-obesity drug semaglutide may be at higher risk for muscle loss, but higher protein intake may help prevent muscle loss in these patients, according to a small study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Losing muscle (or lean mass) is a common side effect of weight loss in adults with obesity and may negatively affect metabolism and bone health. This is because muscle helps control blood sugar after meals and plays an important role in keeping bones strong, according to study lead researcher Melanie Haines, M.D., of Massachusetts ...

Thyroid treatment may improve gut health in people with hypothyroidism

2025-07-12
SAN FRANCISCO—People with an underactive thyroid may have an increased risk of developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a risk that may be reduced with thyroid hormone treatment, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. “We now know that people with hypothyroidism, especially those with autoimmune thyroiditis, are more likely to develop SIBO, but this risk appear to be mitigated in those taking thyroid medications,” said Ruchi Mathur, M.D., Director of the Diabetes Outpatient ...

Combination of obesity medication tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy fuels weight loss

2025-07-12
SAN FRANCISCO—Using tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy at the same time leads to increased weight loss in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity compared to use of tirzepatide treatment alone, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. “These data are the first to show the combined use of tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy significantly increases treatment effectiveness in postmenopausal women,” said Regina Castaneda, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Making regular GPS ultra-precise

Webb Telescope unveils doomed star hidden in dust

UT Southwestern preventive cardiologist to receive the 2025 Chairman’s Award

Slime mold metabolites are a promising, eco-friendly repellent of root-knot nematodes

Pathological mechanism of mechanosensitive cells driving the growth of keloids

First large-scale Alzheimer disease study in brain tissue from African American donors implicates roles for many novel genes

In a nasal spray, gold “nanoparticles” deliver a targeted treatment to the brain. A potentially revolutionary approach to mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases already has a patent

Current and recommended diets in the USA have embedded forced labor risk

AI breakthrough helps astronomers spot cosmic events with just a handful of examples

New vaccine shows promise against typhoid and invasive salmonella in first human trial

Engineered “natural killer” cells could help fight cancer

New 3D printing method ‘grows’ ultra-strong materials

Lizard genetics provide new perspective on evolution

Can a Stevia-derived sweetener improve hair loss treatment?

Method to assess the status of wild reindeer may help with conservation efforts

Do imported cut flowers spread livestock viruses?

Does prior incarceration contribute to poor health later in life?

Could slime mold microbes be a source of potent antimicrobials?

Record-breaking 2024 Amazon fires drive unprecedented carbon emissions and ecosystem degradation

Birds thrive despite pollution from ‘forever’ chemicals

Deadwood brings wild orchids to life

Changes in gut microbiota influence which patients get AIG-related neuroendocrine tumors

Medicaid expansion linked to improved long-term survival in cancer patients

Women with surgical menopause may exit workforce earlier, but hormone therapy could help

Trailblazing Young Scientists honored with $250,000 prizes at Blavatnik National Awards Gala

Revolutionary blood test for ME / Chronic Fatigue unveiled

Calorie labelling linked to 2% average reduction in energy content of menu items

Widely prescribed opioid painkiller tramadol not that effective for easing chronic pain

Exercise snacks may boost cardiorespiratory fitness of physically inactive adults

15,000 women a year with breast cancer could benefit from whole genome sequencing, say researchers

[Press-News.org] Grandfather’s environmental chemical exposures may influence when girls get first period