Until the 20th century, the average age of puberty for girls was 16 or 17 years old.
Xenoestrogens and Early Puberty
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Until the 20th century, the average age of puberty for girls was 16 or 17 years old. Now, we’re seeing significant numbers of girls starting to grow breasts before they’re 8. The change has been so dramatic that the medical profession has had to keep changing its standards for what’s currently pathological. The question is why.
Is it just fiction that the increase in meat consumption has something to do with it?
It appears to be fact. Based on Harvard data, “Girls who consumed more…animal protein and less vegetable protein” started their periods earlier. And it may not just be the hormone content in milk, meat, and eggs.
A study of Korean children found that seafood and processed meat seemed to be the main culprits, and they think it may be the endocrine-disrupting industrial chemicals that build up in the meat—fish in particular—like the dioxins and PCBs, which may be what’s doing it.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.
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- Slyper AH. The pubertal timing controversy in the USA, and a review of possible causative factors for the advance in timing of onset of puberty. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Jul;65(1):1-8.
- Berkey CS, Gardner JD, Frazier AL, Colditz GA. Relation of Childhood Diet and Body Size to Menarche and Adolescent Growth in Girls. Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Sep 1;152(5):446-52.
- Li SJ, Paik HY, Joung H. Dietary patterns are associated with sexual maturation in Korean children. Br J Nutr. 2006 Apr;95(4):817-23.
Until the 20th century, the average age of puberty for girls was 16 or 17 years old. Now, we’re seeing significant numbers of girls starting to grow breasts before they’re 8. The change has been so dramatic that the medical profession has had to keep changing its standards for what’s currently pathological. The question is why.
Is it just fiction that the increase in meat consumption has something to do with it?
It appears to be fact. Based on Harvard data, “Girls who consumed more…animal protein and less vegetable protein” started their periods earlier. And it may not just be the hormone content in milk, meat, and eggs.
A study of Korean children found that seafood and processed meat seemed to be the main culprits, and they think it may be the endocrine-disrupting industrial chemicals that build up in the meat—fish in particular—like the dioxins and PCBs, which may be what’s doing it.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Slyper AH. The pubertal timing controversy in the USA, and a review of possible causative factors for the advance in timing of onset of puberty. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Jul;65(1):1-8.
- Berkey CS, Gardner JD, Frazier AL, Colditz GA. Relation of Childhood Diet and Body Size to Menarche and Adolescent Growth in Girls. Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Sep 1;152(5):446-52.
- Li SJ, Paik HY, Joung H. Dietary patterns are associated with sexual maturation in Korean children. Br J Nutr. 2006 Apr;95(4):817-23.
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Title
Xenoestrogens and Early Puberty
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
Here are more videos on xenoestrogens:
Estrogen in Meat, Dairy, and Eggs
Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors and Allergies
Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility
Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors
Male Fertility and Diet
And check out the companion video, Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts.
For further context, see my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk; Soy and breast cancer: an update; and Why Are Children Starting Puberty Earlier?
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