Why are the girls maturing faster?

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KATU 2 News - Portland, Oregon

www.katu.com

Is obesity causing the early onset of puberty in girls?

May 8, 2006

- By Shellie Bailey-Shah

and KATU.com Web Staff

http://www.katu.com/stories/85714.html

 

EXCERPTS:

 

PORTLAND, Ore. - Most parents would agree that kids are growing up fast these

days, but it may surprise you that doctors and scientists agree as well,

especially when it comes to girls. Before girls start first grade, some of

them are starting a change we associate with teenagers - puberty. It is

supposed to be an age of innocence, but little girls are growing up fast, both

on the inside and the outside. As early as kindergarten, girls are starting

to change. " Now it really is that in a Caucasian child having breast

budding at the age of 7 is considered normal, and in an African-American as

young as the age of 6 would be considered within the range of normal, " said Dr.

Daniel Marks, OHSU Pediatric Endocrinology. One 10-year-old girl who spoke

with KATU News said her breast development started at age 6. It has long

been known that girls mature faster than boys, both physically and emotionally,

but for some reason, girls are starting that process

at an even earlier age. Some people question whether hormones in milk are

to blame, but OHSU Researcher Dr. Sergio Ojeda says no. Dr. Ojeda studies

early puberty in kids and while he says milk hormones do not seem to play a part

in puberty, other environmental factors do, factors like pesticides and

chemicals in plastics. Take something as simple as a plastic water bottle.

" Chemicals slowly get released into the water and then when you drink the water

or eat the food, you get exposed to the plastic, " said Ojeda. In mice, that

chemical has been shown to induce early puberty in females, but for reasons

researchers cannot explain, the same chemical delays puberty in boys.

However, the biggest contributing factor to early puberty in young girls appears

to be obesity. The heavier the girl, the earlier her breasts develop and the

earlier her period begins. Doctors say because of diet, young African-American

and Hispanic girls tend to be heavier

than Caucasians, and start puberty sooner. The reason why weight matters

is because when the body senses it has extra calories, enough to sustain a

pregnancy, the fat tissues release a signal into the bloodstream. That signal

then travels to the brain, telling it that sexual development is a 'go.'

Doctors see the opposite happen in girls who suffer from anorexia. When the body

is starved of calories, the first thing it does is shut down sex hormones.

So what can you do to help your children? Experts say you should start

talking to them about their bodies at an early age, like 2 or 3, and keep

talking. As they get older and the questions become more specific, the kids can

feel comfortable continuing the conversation. Then there are the emotional

changes that take place during puberty. " I've been more emotional than all

of my friends, " said Sarah. " If something little goes wrong, I'll go to my room

and cry. " " She's just up and down because

it's every aspect of going through puberty early, " said Sarah's mother. " It's

(like) dealing with a teenage girl. "

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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