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Extra weight may rush girls into puberty
The National Post (Mon 05 Mar 2007 Byline: Sharon Kirkey) reports that rising rates of childhood obesity could be behind a troubling new phenomenon -- the number of girls entering puberty by Grade 4. Researchers who followed 354 girls from age three to 12 found that the higher a girl's body mass index, or fat mass, at age three, the more likely she was to reach puberty by her ninth birthday.
Girls who gained large amounts of weight between age three and Grade 1 also reached puberty earlier, according to a report in today's issue of Pediatrics. Early puberty in girls carries a higher risk of a wide variety of health and social problems. Other studies have shown they have higher rates of such psychiatric disorders as depression and anxiety, as well as such behavioural problems as bullying and truancy. They are more likely to start drinking alcohol and have sex at an earlier age, and run an increased risk of teenaged pregnancy. They also have higher rates of obesity and breast cancer as adults. No one knows why obesity might trigger puberty in girls. One theory is that the higher the BMI, or body mass index, the more fat cells, and that those fat cells secrete hormones that kickstart puberty. Neither is it clear what comes first -- obesity or puberty. Girls who reach puberty early tend to be heavier.
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