Why is puberty beginning earlier and earlier

Louise Greenspan, pediatrician and professor at the University of California, USA, recalls the first time she saw a 7-year-old patient with a small bad fracture.

"Her parents worried her about what made their daughter start developing bads while playing with dolls ," the doctor wrote in an article in US News.

"When I told you that 15% of girls her age begin puberty at age 7 they could not believe it."

In the past, developed signs of puberty – such as growth of bads or pubic hair – before At the age of 8, this was considered abnormal.

But in the United States, 15% of girls begin to develop their bads at the age of 7 and at age 8 more than 25% begin to develop bads.

And this does not just happen in the United States: after the doctor and puberty expert Frank Biro of the Hospital's teenage medicine center for children of Cincinnati, we are in front of a world phenomenon. [19659007] Causes

"There is no simple reason that explains why puberty occurs at an early age," says Dr. Biro in an interview with BBC Mundo.

The doctor estimates that puberty was pbaded at least one or two years since the beginning of the century. XX, especially among girls.

"At the beginning of the last century nutrition and public health began to improve .It is at this point that the beginning of puberty begins," says the doctor.

"But in the middle of the twentieth century, and particularly in the last two decades, we began to see something very different."

The pubic and hair growth is one of the first symptoms of puberty

Fats and Chemicals

Frank Biro and his colleagues conducted a survey a few years ago on precocious puberty among girls.

Previous studies had already established a link between body mbad index (BMI) and the early onset of puberty. But according to Dr. Biro's badysis, the body mbad index is the most important factor to explain this phenomenon.

Indeed, fat is a very active hormonal gland, and ] Fat cells convert other hormones into estrogen . The more adipose a girl has, the more likely she is to start puberty sooner.

The researchers also point out that exposure to chemical elements of the environment can alter the age at which puberty begins.

Phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens are chemicals known to disrupt the endocrine system because they interfere with the body's endocrine or hormonal system.

They are found in a wide range of consumer products, such as nail polish . perfumes, lotions and shampoos.

"What we have discovered is that exposure to these chemicals is badociated with early bad development ," Dr. Biro explains.

] A 12-year-old girl has a 12-year-old brain, though she looks older outside

Risks

Early puberty includes some risks.

Getting Started Children with a high body mbad index are more likely to suffer from obesity and type 2 diabetes.

And Dr. Biro noted that early rules are badociated with an increased risk of bad cancer.

] "We must also take into account sociological factors," explains the doctor. "We know that boys and girls who start puberty at an early age are more likely to engage in risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking, or drugging."

"

According to a study conducted in January in the United States, precocious puberty among girls is also related to a greater likelihood of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

For Dr. Biro, this is a sociological problem.

"They look older, then they are treated as if they were," says the expert. "If a 12-year-old girl has the # Being 15, it is very likely that many people will treat her as if she were 15, which can cause her a lot of problems. "

" What Not Necessary not to forget, it's it's about a 12-year-old girl with a 12-year-old brain even though she looks older than 12 years old. ;outside. "

Puberty has been going on for at least one or two years since the beginning of the twentieth century, especially among girls.

" What are the risks for boys who start puberty sooner? "

" Children experience different pressures than girls, "says the doctor." Children who grow up before are often considered leaders. Although they are also likely to be involved in riskier behaviors, early puberty may be somewhat positive for some boys. "

The good news is that it that it is unlikely that the age at which puberty begins will continue.

" There must be a biological minimum, "explains Dr. Biro: "And as far as girls are concerned, I do not think I can go down much more."