Puberty Blues

Posted Sat, 07/31/2010 - 20:07 by Melissa

This article asks why children are hitting puberty earlier and earlier, with some girls menstrating at 6 or younger! Scientists say that some consequences of early puberty include obesity, reproductive cancer, depression, and anxiety. The average age of puberty for American girls has gone from 17 in the 19th century to about 8.

To contrast, the average age of sexual maturation in hunter-gatherers is from 15-18 years.

Possible causes outlined in the article include phytoestrogens, chemical contaminants, and obesity. I think looking at obesity as a cause is missing the point here.

Last week I found this interesting study of foragers who reach early sexual maturity, the Pume. The word "foragers" is misleading here because the Pume practice agriculture and trade. They still eat some wild foods, but manioc and corn provide much of their calories. They trade for pasta and rice. They reach menarche at the average age of 12, which is usually considered maladaptive because it increases the risk of dying in childbirth.

Not once does that article mention insulin. It says girls who undergo early puberty are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Hmmm...maybe all there issues mentioned here are a result of a high-carb diet that causes insulin resistance? Here is a great study that shows that girls undergoing puberty tend to have insulin issues. Doctors would be wise to screen girls who get their period at 6 for this condition...

Comments

I wonder when Kitavans reach

by soahc - 08/15/2010 - 11:41

I wonder when Kitavans reach sexual maturity. Their diet is mostly yams, some coconut and fish. 80 percent of their diet is starch from yams, and they are incredibly healthy and fit people.

This article makes me even

by Jennifer - 07/31/2010 - 20:48

This article makes me even more confident that I'm doing the right things for my children. We can't know exactly which chemicals (or combination of chemicals) are influencing this trend of early puberty so we need to keep things as basic and natural as possible. I feed my kids mainly organic meat, organic dairy, little grains & sugar, and use body care products with low EWG scores. I don't know what more I can do to keep them away from hormone disruptors. I get really frustrated some times because not all parents have the knowledge or money to make these changes.

Really, it isn't necessary to

by Rhonda - 07/31/2010 - 23:40

Really, it isn't necessary to use "products" on your children's (yours, too) skin and hair. The skin, like the inside of your body, loves saturated fats; you can slather cocoa butter, shea butter, or coconut oil on their skin. Red palm oil is good, too -- it's full spectrum vitamin E is healing; unfortunately, it does stain. You can use olive oil, too. Olive oil is good for cleaning the face: Put some on your face, then wipe it off with a cotton cloth -- it picks up the dirt, pollution, grime, and makeup (if you wear that stuff).

I don't know about the early puberty, but the large amounts of unfermented soy products included in the SAD (and that includes the meat and other products you eat from animals which were fed soy) and veg'n diet has been reported to feminize boys; it has something to do with how soy acts as estrogen in the human body.