Would junk food and obesity cause puberty as early as 7 to 8 years old?

Answer 1

Study of Girls

According to a new study of over 1,000 girls, researchers have found that puberty in some girls continues to drop to lower ages. The study used the development or absence of breast buds as the determining factor of which girls were or were not entering physical puberty. They found that more Whites than Blacks in 4 major cities (New York City, Cincinnati, and two in California) were showing physical signs of puberty. The girls participated in the "Breast cancer and the Environment Research Centers consortium" in these cities.

Ages Involved

The rates of early puberty had increased since the 1990s. More girls ages 7 and 8 years old were showing early signs of physical maturing.

Theories

Physicians conducting the study point to one major commonality among the earlier-maturing girls: obesity and high BMI (Body-Mass Index). Obesity is commonly linked to easy access to fast foods, poor choices in diet, and lack of exercise. Slimmer girls of the same ages were not shown to be entering puberty.

How can obesity influence puberty?

Fat cells cause an increased production of hormones, specifically estrogen. A girl's body does not know that it should not start the maturing process based on a certain age; instead, the body is affected by the increased hormones stored in the fat cells. Therefore, it would follow that early puberty could continue to start at earlier ages depending on how much a girl weighs at young ages.

Why didn't this happen to girls 30-50 years ago?

Until the 1970s, most children got more exercise. They played outside. They were not spending their free time sitting in front of the television or computers.

Children typically ate more balanced meals, prepared at home. Meals prepared at home used healthier ingredients. Children ate more fruits, vegetables, and natural fibers.

Girls typically did not start to get hips until age 11-12, around the time of first menstruation. Because of body mass and lower weights, hormones did not "switch on" until about that age. Hormones were not being amassed in fat cells where they could then tell the body to mature earlier.

Ramifications-- What can go wrong?

Girls who physically mature earlier are often treated by others as being more mature than they are emotionally or psychologically.

The rapid physical changes that a pre-teen of 11-13 years old experience are worse for girls who mature early at ages 7-8 yrs. Body image, self-esteem, and self-confidence are fragile, at best, for girls ages 11-13 going through physical changes.

Girls who mature at ages 7-8 face higher risks for victimization. Sexual abuse, rape, and early sexual exploration are just a few of the many risks these younger girls face. If unguided by adults, we could soon see 9-10 yr olds experiencing unwanted pregnancies. Because the bones are still growing, these young girls would have even bigger problems during pregnancy; for example, pregnancy itself pulls calcium from the mother's bones; if a very young girl gets pregnant when her own body is still developing bone material, these young girl-mothers could end up having pregnancy related bone fractures and need calcium supplements. Related to this is the fact that fast foods do not give humans the calcium the body needs--must have--to grow properly. So these younger-maturing girls will face double whammies on their physical health if they get pregnant.

If these younger-maturing girls do have sex, they face higher risks of STDs. As we all know, some of the current STDs have no symptoms and no cures.

What can parents do now?

Get your young girls checked at the doctor. Look for signs of early maturing. Get advice from the physician about if the early maturing can be slowed down.

Limit the intake of fatty foods. Encourage your kids to exercise. Help your children to decrease their weight and BMIs.

What if your 7-8 year old daughter is already maturing?

Consult your doctor now. Develop plans for how to teach your daughter the risk factors she now must know. Explain why being overweight causes hormones (estrogen) to accumulate in fat cells and why she needs to thin down. Help her with a healthy diet and weight loss. Ask your physician for a list of foods that provide calcium. Remember, calcium needs Vitamin D plus sunshine to build bones. Get your kids outside to play.