Young girls are entering puberty earlier and earlier and a recent study found that one big reason behind it could be obesity.
Young girls are entering puberty earlier and earlier and a recent study found that one big reason behind it could be obesity.
In examining the breast growth of 1200 girls over the course of 7 years, the research team found that for the girls whose BMI classified them as being obese, puberty came earlier.
Some exhibited physical signs of sexual maturation as early as 8 years old.
Those in the highest percentile of excess weight started showing signs of puberty up to a year and a half before the girls in the lower categories.
Also discovered was that obesity now trumps both race and ethnicity as being the primary predictor of when puberty is likely to start in individuals.
While black girls have traditionally started to experience hormonal changes earlier than others, obesity causes the changes to occur sooner across all racial and ethnic lines.
The researchers say that obesity alone is not the only cause of early development, acknowledging that chemicals and inactivity still play a dominant role.
They do assert that it is becoming an increasingly significant one, however.
Early onset puberty had been linked to depression and low self-esteem.
