Puberty is setting in as early as age seven for some obese American girls, and the health risks this carries are quite worrisome, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
More than 1,200 young American girls were used for the study, which chose participants based on their age, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and whether they had shown any early signs of puberty.
What the researchers found was that some of the girls had developed breasts by the age of 7 or 8, which was thought to be due to the relationship between body fat and the production of sex hormones, and definitely linked to the high rate of childhood obesity in the United States.
The results showed that by the age of 7, breast growth was evident in 13 percent of the white girls in the study, 23 percent of the African American girls, and 15 percent of the Hispanic girls, all of whom were showing physical development consistent with the onset of puberty. It was also noted that the 7-year-old and 8-year-old girls who had a higher body mass index were developing breasts years earlier than other girls of the same age group.
These results are disturbing for a number of reasons, as many health experts believe that the emergence of puberty at a very young age puts girls in the high-risk category for breast cancer as they grow into adulthood. Another aspect of this early development that poses problems has to do with the psychological effects that breast growth can have on young girls as young as 7 or 8. Earlier research done on this subject suggests that girls who go through puberty at a younger-than-usual age have a tendency to experience various forms of depression and may become sexually active.
According to the experts, it’s just a fact that in our society, young girls who are physically well-developed are going to be treated like girls in their early or mid-teenage years. The psychological confusion that this can cause often creates a big problem that needs to be dealt with correctly, they said.
Fortunately, there are steps parents can take to minimize the chance that puberty will emerge at a very young age. One of the most effective approaches is to make sure growing girls are eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. It is encouraged for families to eat meals together, which helps to provide a very important support system for girls.
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