10/27/2015 CausesofEarlyPuberty:WhyIsThistheNew"Normal?
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PubertyBeforeAge
10:ANewNormal?
April16,2012 | 1,139,159views
| DisponibleenEspaol
ByDr.Mercola
Reachingpubertyisariteofpassagethatwe'veall
beenthrough,butchildrennowadaysarereaching
itearlierthaneverbeforeatrendthathasboth
healthexpertsandparentsalarmed.
Precociouspuberty,whichistheappearanceof
secondarysexcharacteristicslikepubichairor
breastgrowthbeforeage8,ortheonsetof
menarchebeforeage9,impactsatleast1in5,000
U.S.children,andtherateisontherise.1
Eveninthelastthreedecades,children
(particularlygirls)arematuringatyoungerand
youngerages(precociouspubertyis10timesmore
commoningirlsthaninboys).
Puberty,OncetheNormatAge15,
NowOccurringin7,8and9Year
Olds
Inthe19thcenturytheonsetofmenstruation
occurredaroundtheageof15.Nowtheaverage
ageofthefirstperiod,ormenarche,isaround12.
Thetimeduringandbeforepubertyisoneofrapid
developmentandchange,whichiswhyeven
monthsmatterwhenitcomestofirstmenstruation.
Beforemenstruation,girlswillshowbeginning
signsofdevelopment,suchasbreast"budding"
andgrowthofpubichair.
Thesesignsarenowbecomingunsettlingly
commonamong7,8and9yearoldgirls,tothe
extentthatmanyhealthcareproviders,ratherthan
labelingthesechildrenwithadiagnosisthat
somethingiswrong,havesimplychangedthe
definitionofwhat'snormal...butisitreally"normal"
forgirlstomatureatsuchayoungage?
Storyataglance
Precociouspuberty,whichistheappearanceof
secondarysexcharacteristicslikepubichairor
breastgrowthbeforeage8,ortheonsetof
menarchebeforeage9,impactsatleast1in
5,000U.S.children,andtherateisontherise
Earlypubertyislinkedtoemotionaland
behavioralproblems,alongwithanincreased
riskofdiabetes,heartdiseaseandother
cardiovasculardiseases,aswellascancer,
laterinlife
Environmentalchemicals,andparticularly
estrogenmimicking,genderbending
chemicalsthateasilyleachoutoftheproducts
thatcontainthem,arealikelyculpritthis
includesphthalates,parabens,PFOA,
bisphenolA(BPA)andmore(these
environmentalchemicalsarealsolinkedto
otherhealthriskslikecancerandheartdisease)
Amongthebestwaystoavoidearlypubertyare
tolimityourchildsexposure(andyourown
duringpregnancy)tohormonedisrupting
chemicalsandstress,aswellastooptimize
yourchildsvitaminDlevelsandtoencouragea
regularexerciseprogram
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10/27/2015 CausesofEarlyPuberty:WhyIsThistheNew"Normal?
Therearemorequestionsthananswersinthecase
ofprecociouspuberty,butwhatiscertainisthat 5
girlsaredevelopingearlierthantheyhaveeven
10,20or30yearsago.
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OnestudyinthejournalPediatricsrevealedthatby
age7,10percentofwhitegirls,23percentofblack
girls,15percentofHispanicgirlsand2percentof LowLevelofthisVitaminFoundtobeLinked
toEarlyMenstruation
Asiangirlshadstarteddevelopingbreasts,with
researchersnoting:2
TheAlarmingReasonWhyMoreGirlsare
StartingPubertyEarly
"Theproportionofgirlswhohadbreast
developmentatages7and8years,
particularlyamongwhitegirls,isgreater GirlsNowBeginPubertyatAge9
thanthatreportedfromstudiesofgirlswho
wereborn10to30yearsearlier."

Earlypubertycansetthestageforemotionalandbehavioralproblems,andislinkedtolowerselfesteem,
depression,eatingdisorders,alcoholuse,earlierlossofvirginity,moresexualpartnersandincreasedriskof
sexuallytransmitteddiseases.Thereisalsoevidencethatsuggeststhesegirlsareatincreasedriskof
diabetes,heartdiseaseandothercardiovasculardiseases,aswellascancer,laterinlife.

EnvironmentalChemicalsaLikelyFactor
Scientistshavebroughtforthanumberofpotentialexplanationsfortherisingratesofearlypuberty,butone
thatdeservesspecialattentionisenvironmentalchemicals,andparticularlyestrogenmimicking,"gender
bending"chemicalsthateasilyleachoutoftheproductsthatcontainthem,contaminatingeverythingthey
touch,includingfoodandbeverages.

AsthefeaturedNewYorkTimesarticlereported:

"...animalstudiesshowthattheexposuretosomeenvironmentalchemicalscancausebodiesto
matureearly.Ofparticularconcernareendocrinedisrupters,like"xenoestrogens"orestrogenmimics.
Thesecompoundsbehavelikesteroidhormonesandcanalterpubertytiming.

Forobviousethicalreasons,scientistscannotperformcontrolledstudiesprovingthedirectimpactof
thesechemicalsonchildren,soresearchersinsteadlookforsocalled"naturalexperiments,"oneof
whichoccurredin1973inMichigan,whencattlewereaccidentallyfedgraincontaminatedwithan
estrogenmimickingchemical,theflameretardantPBB.

ThedaughtersborntothepregnantwomenwhoatethePBBlacedmeatanddrankthePBBlacedmilk
startedmenstruatingsignificantlyearlierthantheirpeers."

Thisisanextremecase,butthetruthisweareallpartofa"secretexperiment"ofsorts,becausehormone
disruptingchemicalsareallaroundus.BisphenolA(BPA),anindustrialpetrochemicalthatactsasasynthetic
estrogen,isfoundinourplasticsandourtincanlinings,indentalsealantsandoncashregisterreceipts.
LaboratorytestscommissionedbytheEnvironmentalWorkingGroup(EWG)detectedBPAintheumbilical
cordbloodof90percentofnewborninfantstestedalongwithmorethan230otherchemicals.Aswrittenin
theNewYorkTimes:

"Oneconcern,amongparentsandresearchers,istheeffectofsimultaneousexposurestomany
estrogenmimics,includingthecompoundBPA,whichisubiquitous."

Nooneknowswhathappenswhenadevelopingfetusoryoungchildisexposedtohundredsofchemicals,
manyofwhichmimicyourbody'snaturalhormonesandcantriggermajorchangesinyourbodyevenasan
adult,letalongduringthemostrapidandvulnerableperiodsofdevelopment(inuteroandasayoungchild).

BPAis,unfortunately,butoneexample.Othersincludephthalates,agroupofindustrialchemicalsusedto
makeplasticslikepolyvinylchloride(PVC)moreflexibleandresilient.They'realsooneofthemostpervasive
oftheendocrinedisrupters,foundineverythingfromprocessedfoodpackagingandshowercurtainsto
detergents,toysandbeautyproductslikenailpolish,hairspray,shampoo,deodorants,andfragrances.

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10/27/2015 CausesofEarlyPuberty:WhyIsThistheNew"Normal?
OtherenvironmentalchemicalslikePCBsandDDE(abreakdownproductofthepesticideDDT)mayalsobe
associatedwithearlysexualdevelopmentingirls.BothDDEandPCBsareknowntomimic,orinterferewith,
sexhormones.

Perfluorooctanoicacid(PFOA),foundinnonstickcookware,alsofallsintothisdangerouscategory,asdoes
fluoride,whichisaddedtothemajorityofpublicwatersuppliesintheUnitedStates.Researchshowedthat
animalstreatedwithfluoridehadlowerlevelsofcirculatingmelatonin,asreflectedbyreducedlevelsof
melatoninmetabolitesintheanimals'urine.Thisreducedlevelofcirculatingmelatoninwasaccompaniedas
mightbeexpectedbyanearlieronsetofpubertyinthefluoridetreatedfemaleanimals.

TheseChemicalsAlsoIncreaseYourRiskofCancerandHeartDisease
Ifachemicaliscapableofinfluencingtherateofyourreproductivedevelopment,itstandstoreasonthatit
wouldbecapableofinfluencingotherhormonesensitivegrowthprocessesaswell,andthisisindeedthe
case.

Forinstance,newresearchhasdetectedthepresenceofparabenestersin99percentofbreastcancertissues
sampled.3 Parabensarechemicalswithestrogenlikeproperties,andestrogenisoneofthehormones
involvedinnotonlypubertybutalsothedevelopmentofbreastcancer.Theyarewidelyusedinhousehold
productssuchas:

Deodorantsand Shampoosand Shavinggel Toothpaste

antiperspirants conditioners

Lotionsand Makeup/cosmetics Pharmaceuticaldrugs Foodadditives

sunscreens

Recentresearchhasalsoconfirmedtheexistenceofapreviouslyunknownclassofcancercausingestrogen
mimickingcompounds:metals.Yes,abroadrangeofmetalshavebeenshowntoactas"metalloestrogens"
withthepotentialtoaddtotheestrogenicburdenofthehumanbody,therebyincreasingtheriskofbreast
cancerandalsopossiblyearlypuberty.Thefollowingmetals,whichareaddedtothousandsofconsumer
products,includingvaccines,havebeenidentifiedasbeingcapableofbindingtocellularestrogenreceptors
andthenmimickingtheactionsofphysiologicalestrogens:4

Aluminum Antimony Arsenite Barium Cadmium Chromiu Cobalt

m

Copper Lead Mercury Nickel Selenite Tin Vanadate

DatafromalongrunningBritishhealthsurvey,meanwhile,hasshownthatifyouhavehighlevelsofthe
chemicalBPAinyoururine,youmaybeatanincreasedriskofheartdisease.Someofthegreatestconcern
surroundsearlylife,inuteroexposuretoBPA,whichcanleadtochromosomalerrorsinyourdevelopingfetus,
causingspontaneousmiscarriagesandgeneticdamage.Butevidenceisalsoverystrongshowingthese
chemicalsareinfluencingadultsandchildren,too,andleadingtodecreasedspermquality,earlypuberty,
stimulationofmammaryglanddevelopment,disruptedreproductivecyclesandovariandysfunction,obesity,
cancerandheartdisease,amongnumerousotherhealthproblems.

AvoidingHormoneDisruptingSubstancesisCrucialforChildrenand
AdultsAlike
Whileyounggirlsmayshowobvioussignsofexposuretohormonedisruptingsubstancesviaearlypuberty,
othersignalsaremoreinsidiousandmaynotshowupuntiladiseaseisalreadypresent.Hereare11
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10/27/2015 CausesofEarlyPuberty:WhyIsThistheNew"Normal?
measuresyoucanimplementrightawaytohelpprotectyourselfandyourchildrenfromcommontoxic
substancesthatcouldcauseprecociouspubertyandotherlongtermhealthproblems:

1. Asmuchaspossible,buyandeatorganicproduceandfreerange,organicmeatstoreduceyour
exposuretoaddedhormones,pesticidesandfertilizers.Alsoavoidmilkandotherdairyproductsthat
containthegeneticallyengineeredrecombinantbovinegrowthhormone(rBGHorrBST)

2. Eatmostlyraw,freshfoods.Processed,prepackagedfoods(ofallkinds)areamajorsourceofsoyand
chemicalssuchasBPAandphthalates.

3. Storeyourfoodandbeveragesinglassratherthanplastic,andavoidusingplasticwrapandcanned
foods(whichareoftenlinedwithBPAcontainingliners).

4. UseglassbabybottlesandBPAfreesippycupsforyourlittleones.

5. Makesureyourbaby'stoysareBPAfree,suchaspacifiers,teethingringsandanythingyourchildmay
bepronetosuckon.

6. Onlyusenaturalcleaningproductsinyourhometoavoidphthalates.

7. Switchovertonaturalbrandsoftoiletriessuchasshampoo,toothpaste,antiperspirantsandcosmetics.
TheEnvironmentalWorkingGrouphasagreatsafetyguidetohelpyoufindpersonalcareproductsthat
arefreeofphthalates,parabensandotherpotentiallydangerouschemicals.

8. Avoidusingartificialairfresheners,dryersheets,fabricsoftenersorothersyntheticfragrances,manyof
whichcanalsodisruptyourhormonebalance.

9. Replaceyournonstickpotsandpanswithceramicorglasscookware.

10. Whenredoingyourhome,lookfor"green,"toxinfreealternativesinlieuofregularpaintandvinylfloor
coverings.

11. Replaceyourvinylshowercurtainwithonemadeoffabric.

12. Avoidnonfermentedsoy,especiallyifyou'repregnantandininfantformula.

TheoColburn'sbookOurStolenFutureisagreatsourceforfurtherinvestigationasitidentifiesthenumerous
waysinwhichenvironmentalpollutantsaredisruptinghumanreproductivepatterns.Ibelieveitisoneofthe
bestresourcesonthistopicandhighlyrecommendit.

VitaminDAlsoLinkedtoEarlyPuberty
Ithasbeensuggestedthatgirlswholiveclosertotheequatorstartpubertyatalateragethangirlswholivein
Northernregions.Sincethisindicatesapotentialconnectionwithsunexposure,researchersdecidedto
investigatewhethervitaminDwas,infact,related.UponmeasuringvitaminDlevelsin242girlsaged512,
researchersfromtheUniversityofMichiganSchoolofPublicHealthfoundthatthosewhoweredeficientwere
twiceaslikelytostartmenstruationduringthestudyperiodasthosewithhigherlevels.5

Specifically,amongthevitaminDdeficientgirls,57percentstartedtheirperiodduringthestudy,comparedto
23percentwithadequatevitaminD.However,researchersdefinedadequatevitaminDas30ng/mL,which
isactuallystilladeficiencystate!Foroptimalhealth,vitaminDlevelsshouldbeaminimumof50ng/mL,which
meansthenumberofvitaminDdeficientgirlswithearlypubertywasprobablymuchhigherthanthestudy
reported.

Theearlieryouenterpuberty,thelongeryou'reexposedtoelevatedlevelsofthefemalehormoneestrogen,
whichisariskfactorforcertaincancerssuchasbreastcancer.Thishasbeentheprimary"link"betweenearly
pubertyandcancerthathasbeenexplored,butit'simportanttounderstandthatvitaminDdeficiencyisalsoa
majorriskfactorforcancer,heartdiseaseandmanyotherdiseases.Soitcouldbethatsomeoftheincreased
risksthatcomefromearlypubertyarelinkedtolowvitaminDlevels.

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10/27/2015 CausesofEarlyPuberty:WhyIsThistheNew"Normal?

What You Should Know About Obesity, Stress and Exercise

Obesity (which ex poses girls to more estro g en because estro g en is both stored and p roduced in fat tissue) is
another likely factor in early puberty. The New York Times reported:

"As Robert Lustig, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Cali fornia, San Francisco's
Benioff Children's Hospital, explains, fatter girls have higher levels of the hormone leptin, which can
to early puberty,
lead leads to higher estrogen
which levels,which leads to greater insulin resistance,
causing girl s to hav e yet mo re fat tissue, mo re l eptin a nd mo re estroge n, the cyc le feed ing on itse lf, un til
their
bodies
ph ysicall
y mature."


As for str ess, thi s, too, has bee n link ed to early puberty, with girls wh ose par en ts d ivor ced when th ey wer e
between 3 and 8 y earsold
signifi cantl y more likely
precocious
to experience puberty. "Evolutionary

psychology offers a theory,"
the New York Times
reports.
"A stressful
childhood
inclines
a body toward
early
reproduction
if life is
hard , best
to mature
young.
But
such theories
are tough
to prove."
Interestingly
, in
addition to avoidin genvironmental
chemicals,
obesit
y and stress,
and optimizing your vitamin
D, regular

exercise appears
to be one of the best known ways to help prevent early puberty.

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