Puberty At Age 8 for US Girls

U.S. girls are reaching puberty at younger ages
than ever before. In the 1990s, breast development --
the first sign of puberty in girls -- at age 8 was
considered an abnormal event that should be
investigated by an endocrinologist.

However, by 1999, following a 1997 study that found
almost half of African Americans and 15 percent of
whites had begun breast development by age 8, the
Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society suggested
changing what is viewed as “normal.”

They suggested changing puberty at age 8 from abnormal
to normal, and lowering the abnormal puberty age to
7 for white girls and 6 for African American girls.

But while some experts believe the shift is nothing
to worry about, others, including parents, are
alarmed.

Early puberty, which exposes girls to estrogen for
more of their lives, is linked to breast cancer and
other health risks, but scientists are at a loss of
how to study the potential causes for early puberty,
which include:

* Hormones in food
* Pesticides in produce
* Phthalates in plastics and cosmetics
* Obesity, which exposes girls to more of the
acidic hormone estrogen
* Stress from living in a fatherless household
* Sexually suggestive TV shows

Conducting a study to test these factors is next
to impossible because there are so many estrogen-
like acidic chemicals in the environment that there
are no control populations to balance out the study.

And while scientists grapple with how to figure
out what’s causing girls to develop at younger and
younger ages, parents are forced to have adult
conversations with their children much sooner than
expected.

According to Dr. Robert O. Young, a research scientist
at the pH Miracle Living Center states, "the cause of
"early puberty" is the result of acidic lifestyle
and dietary choice. When you alkalize the body and
manage the levels of dietary and/or metabolic acids
you slow down the aging process and extend the age of
when puberty begins. My own daughter is the perfect
example of an alkaline lifestyle and diet who began
menstruating at the age of 17."

Sources:

* Los Angeles Times January 21, 2008
* The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls
August 2007
* The pH Miracle Living Center