E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSWhen it comes to the birds and the bees, some parents may want to have that talk with their boys a little sooner than they expected.
Researchers have found signs of puberty in American boys up to two years earlier than previously reported — age 9 on average for blacks, 10 for whites and Hispanics. Other studies have suggested that girls, too, are entering puberty younger.
Why is this happening? Theories range from higher levels of obesity and inactivity to chemicals in food and water, all of which might interfere with normal hormone production. But those are just theories, and they remain unproven.
Doctors say earlier puberty is not necessarily cause for concern. And some experts question whether the trend is even real.
Dr. William Adelman, an adolescent medicine specialist in the Baltimore area, says the new research is the first to find early, strong physical evidence that boys are maturing earlier. But he added that the study still isn't proof and said it raises a lot of questions.
Earlier research based on 20-year-old national data also suggested a trend toward early puberty in boys, but it was based on less rigorous information. The new study involved testes measurements in more than 4,000 boys. Enlargement of testes is generally the earliest sign of puberty in boys.
The study was published online Saturday in Pediatrics to coincide with the American Academy of Pediatrics' national conference in New Orleans.
Dr. Neerav Desai, an adolescent medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said he's seen a subtle trend toward slightly earlier puberty in boys. He said it's important for parents and doctors to be aware so they can help children emotionally prepare for the changes that come with puberty.
Doctors generally consider puberty early if it begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys.
Boys are more likely than girls to have an underlying physical cause for early puberty. But it's likely that most, if not all, of the boys in the study were free of any conditions that might explain the results, said lead author Marcia Herman-Giddens, a researcher at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Problems such as thyroid abnormalities and brain tumors have been linked to early puberty. But boys with chronic medical conditions or who were using medicines that could affect puberty were excluded from the research.
In girls, early puberty has been linked with increased chances for developing breast cancer, but whether it poses health risks for boys is uncertain. Some scientists think early testes development may increase the risk for testicular cancer, but a recent research analysis found no such link.
"If it's true that boys are starting puberty younger, it's not clear that means anything negative or has any implications for long-term," said Adelman, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence.
For the new study, researchers recruited pediatricians in 41 states who participate in the academy's office-based research network. Doctors asked parents and boys aged 6 to 16 to take part during regular checkups. The visits took place between 2005 and 2010.
Half of the boys were white. The rest were almost evenly divided among blacks and Hispanics.
On average, white boys started puberty at age 10, a year and a half earlier than what has long been considered the normal average. For black boys, the average age of 9 was about two years earlier than in previous research. Among Hispanics, age 10 was similar to previous research that only involved Mexican-American boys. The new study included boys from other Hispanic backgrounds.
Testes enlargement was seen at age 6 in 9 percent of white boys, almost 20 percent of blacks and 7 percent of Hispanics.
Pubic hair growth, another early sign of puberty, started about a year after testes enlargement in all groups but still earlier than previously thought.
In girls, breast development is the first sign, and recent research suggested that it starts at age 7 in about 10 percent of white girls, 23 percent of blacks and 15 percent of Hispanics. That's substantially higher than rates reported more than a decade ago.
But some experts have questioned methods used in studies in girls, noting that the age when girls start menstruating has not changed much and remains around age 12 on average.
Dr. Dianne Deplewski, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Chicago, has not seen any increase in boys referred to her for signs of early puberty. She said it's possible that the new study results were skewed by families who brought their boys to the doctor because they already had concerns about their health.
The study had other limitations. Testes were measured just once, and doctors weren't randomly recruited but volunteered to participate. That means it's possible that those with early maturing patients were overly represented, but Herman-Giddens said it's unlikely boys in the study were different from those in the general U.S. population.
She said the research methods weren't perfect but that they're the best to date. She also stressed that the results shouldn't be used to establish a "new normal" for the start of puberty in boys.
"Just because this is happening doesn't mean this is normal or healthy," the researcher said.
Related stories:
Leave a Comment:
I'm sure that it has absolutely nothing to do with the hormone laced milk (and milk products), and meats that our young children are eating. Let's see ... If you give cows and other animals feed that is laced with hormones to make them reach maturity faster, grow faster, etc, I'm sure that none of that is residual in their products.
And not only that, but you feed these same animals things that are not natural in their diets (including GMOs) ... Give them antibiotics, Prozac, and other drugs ... Yet scientist can't figure this out? I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure that I can figure out what the problem is.
My family eat organic, we eat whole grains (that are organic and non-GMO), and we eat fresh fruits, veggies and meats that come from a local farmer ... That's right, we know our local farmer, and we know what he grows, and how he grows it ... how he raises his animals and what he feeds them. That extra money is worth it for me and my family ...
Check out: and
"Researchers have found signs of puberty in American boys up to two years earlier than previously reported — age 9 on average for blacks, 10 for whites and Hispanics...."
Too much Spongebob and Big Bird has something to do with this...these two perverts need to axed!
And studies are showing that not all foods we buy or get from farmers which is supposed to be organic, actually is. But it is a good start to eat healthy and eat as much organic foods as you can. That's how my grandfather lived to be 96 I am sure. He had his own garden, ate healthy and he knew what he was eating.
Greg Vick Good points, but the article DID say boys on meds were excluded. It would have been a much better study if they examined the diets of the boys too. I have noticed just in my area, children are not drinking milk and they are addicted to sodas. And their parents act like the children are free to make that decision. Many don't even know what beans are. We had this in our church. We had Vacation Bible School,and I like to make food appropriate to the theme- civil war days- chicken pot pie, beans, etc Southern foods from a book. And these kids, who don't normally come to any church, were amazed at the beans at first were repelled, but after trying them, decided they were OK. It is amazing to me that they don't know what beans are.
Besides, also as you say the environmental pollutants. I saw a good 1 hour You tube video called What in the world are they spraying? And it turns out they caught a meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and they had speakers, caught on video admitting they were spraying aluminum and barium particles in the sky to reduce global warming. I don't know about you, but I have been having testing to discover the causes of my health problems and my hair analysis showed toxic levels of barium. Not there is only one other source of barium I know of that and that is the stuff they make you drink to take CT scans of your gut. I haven't had any of that so I can only look to the chemtrails. Then we have 60% of the US with fluoridated water, which can be causing thyroid problems, IBS, and poor bone formation- look up Cathy's Horses on Google. Also causes fertility problems. They did mention thyroid issues as a possibility in this article. And then there is the widespread us of Aspartame and Splenda, even in things that aren't purported to be "diet" products. So yes, it's is all a big mess and I can't see this coming out right. No wonder this is happening.
You know what that means? All those female teachers, who got caught having sex with their students, were just trying to get a jump on evolution. :)
(It is a joke, I do not condone teachers molesting students, but I also deplore the double standard where female teachers get light sentences, but men get 20 years).
Yes, I can tell that you're not a scientist - just as you pointed out. The article did say that those same things might be the cause. The issue is that scientists, unlike you, don't speculate something and then just assume that it is true. Sure, they're making hypotheses (which is different from a theory; this article incorrectly called them theories) that include chemicals placed into food. But, unlike you, they don't just make a hypothesis and then assume that it's correct. You have to make a falsifiable hypothesis and then test it to see if it actually holds up to experiment instead of just assume that you're correct and then moving on.
I love to read about "Organic only" elitists like to lecture the rest of us. If you ever walk down the supermarket aisles for Organic only foods, it's not unlike the First Class vs. Economy on flights with the same class dichotomy. In PA a single mother with 1 child gets $313 plus Food Stamps, say another $200. The Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. Assuming one does NOT shop organic, there is absolute sticker shock on any fresh meats, fruits and vegetables, when compared with the cheaper processed non-organic foods. Is it any wonder why the above folks aren't opting for $3+/lb broccoli and $4.50+/lb Organic fresh broccoli. Most working and poor folks can't afford to fly First Class, whether in airplanes or at the supermarket. It's great you can feed your family designer food. However, it is hardly the solution in a hungry nation.
nahh not one thing but I can point to stress you forget that acid breaks everything down to its component parts so no hormones make it through the digestion factor so go blow smoke up some one elses butttt and see where that gets you a new boy friend maybe you never know
Great....just what our society needs.....boys going into puberty sooner.....wonder if it's got to do with what these kids are exposed to in the media, music, etc. Just a thought.....
The article said it might be due to increased obesity, but that seems unlikely to me. All the fat boys I saw in the locker room during gym class had teenie weenies. How can obesity cause early puberty? :)
it does not take Einstein to figure out, it is the growth hormones in pork, chicken ,beef, Bht in milk , cheese, ice cream, additives in canned foods; we soon will start producing Mutants..
Mickey, the earlier onset has nothing to do with the size of the body parts. Since you did not bother to read all the way to the end of the sentence you referenced in the article, you missed the explanation that obesity interferes with normal hormone production. For example, overweight women have hgher levels of estrogen because it is produced by fat cells.
They keep acting like it's hard to make an actual comparison to yesterday's onset of puberty, thanks to changed measurement methods. In my day, most girls were 11 before their breasts had noticeably grown. However, I did know 1 girl who had breasts at age 7 and, yes, she was obese. Even men get breasts when they are obese, so I just assumed it was the body's fat storage mechanism and had nothing to do with hormones. I certainly hope it's just an obesity side effect, but dairy farmers do deserve a boycott of milk until they stop using hormones in it. We aren't guinea pigs.
However, these scientists should do another study which controls for weight.
Learn about the physiology of puberty. It is an internal process, external stuff like music has no part to play in it.
Keep feeding people this garbage and they will be pregnant at birth, dropping mutants everywhere they go. if its not that way already, I wonder about some of the people I run across. Michele wants to blame McD's and Others but its not them directly its the food service in general under the dept of Ag running the show, if you want to know the real source of a problem look to see who is pointing a finger, that will be your source. they point there finger in a different direction to avoid being detected themselves, its so much easier to put the blame elsewhere. besides we did these studies in the 70's and confirmed that to be the cause, people were warned about it then.
lalaw,
"Mickey, the earlier onset has nothing to do with the size of the body parts"
From the article: "The new study involved testes measurements in more than 4,000 boys. Enlargement of testes is generally the earliest sign of puberty in boys."
Nothing to do with the size of the body parts? Are the testes not part of the body?
GREG VICK
Your post ended with: "Check out: and"
Would you care to repost with the remainder of what your post was. I also tried to vote for your post but its not registering. Could it be that the liberals that run this site would try and manipulate the masses?
Do not regulate food production. Reduce any regulation already in place. Do not offend the job creators. The free market will make your boys bigger where it counts. When they turn to brass, watch out for hedge funds speculating in cooper and tin, especially if their tax rates are reduced. Vote Tea-party. Bigger is better!
When I was growing up we ate almost entirely organic - we had a huge garden, grew all of our own vegetables, got our meat and dairy products from local farms who didn't pump their cattle and chicken full of steroids, etc. My brother and I also got a lot of exercise. I didn't hit puberty until well past my 13th birthday. My brother's a doctor and I think he's right when he said - it's been common knowledge for years that you need to have a certain percentage of body fat before you hit puberty.
He pointed out - the industry has been pushing genetically modified foods, and pumping their animals full of steroids / growth hormones for years. It's in everything, the meat, eggs, dairy, etc. Kids in this country don't get nearly enough exercise. They've cut PE out of most schools entirely. The vast majority of kids lead a very sedentary lifestyle, sitting on their asses all day playing video games, staring at the TV, stuffing their faces the entire time.
It's a recipe for disaster. A majority of the kids are overweight, some to an extreme degree and when you combine that with all of the food they're pigging out on - most of it loaded with growth hormones, artificial preservatives, etc. it's no wonder so many kids are hitting puberty at 8 or 9. I think it's definitely those two things, because my brother is raising my nieces the same way we were raised, as far as diet, exercise, etc. and my oldest niece, who is turning 11 this year, is nowhere near hitting puberty.
Just my two cents and a hypothesis: adaptation.
The population of males in the age group that are currently going through puberty exceeds that of females by several million.
When the population of females exceeds that of males, there is survival benefit in staying a child longer: your parents protect you for longer, leading to a longer life which enhances your chances of reproduction. When the population of males exceeds that of females, there is survival benefit in maturing faster: more males means more competition, which means the faster you mature, the faster you will be able to reproduce, surpassing your peers. It really all depends on what is more efficient for survival.
There are a lot of biological factors present in society that aren't understood. At least on the surface, population seems to be a huge factor in the development of children.
As for the hormones: hormones are proteins. Our cells only receive proteins that they're compatible with. That's why there's such a problem with HIV-the virus emulates the surface proteins of cells, preventing immune cells from recognizing it as a virus. I'm not much of an expert on growth hormones, but I do know that rBST (the hormone used to increase milk production) isn't identical to any human growth hormone and has no function in the human body. IGF, which is often associated with cancer, isn't present in milk in levels substantially higher than in the milk of cows with no hormones.
Really, though, milk isn't that healthy to drink in the first place. We wouldn't be caught dead drinking crisco suspended in water; but we seem to love milk.
Shawn Allen Hornickel,
Are you by any chance related to the Hoppy Falls Hornickels?
It looks like this site removes other websites that you want to direct people to ... The websites that I was referring to are:
www mnn com/food/healthy-eating/stories/was-your-chicken-fed-caffeine-arsenic-prozac-or-banned-antibiotics
And
www rodale com/meat-healthy
(where the spaces are, put in a ".")
And there was a study done recently, and even though organic veggies, meats, etc cost more, the cost per nutrient value is greater. In other words, if you eat 1 cup of non-organic broccoli and one cup of organic broccoli, the organic broccoli has a much higher nutrient value.
And for Xent ... If what you say is true, then why is it that we take medication orally? If what you are saying is true, then all of the medication that I take orally would be "eaten" up by the acid in my stomach.
And another thing, I didn't say use the grocery store ... I said contact your local farmer. There are a lot of CSAs in my area that provide fresh organic veggies at a very reasonable price. And what's fun with the CSA is that I can to look up and try out new recipes for veggies that I have never tried before. For under $800 a year, I can feed my family of 4 fresh veggies every night. That's a very reasonable price to pay ...
Lordy have mercy! 30 years ago I was a 11 yr old shaving and chasing girls at 12. I didn't see any difference than that of some other boys my age. Sure we didn't all have pubs yet but those of us that did loved showing them off to the girls. Damn, I hate to tell you what we were doing by 14!
Greg, they only do that for new registrants. They remove the restrict after a month or two of contribution to the site.
More than two decades ago I read an article by an eminent biochemist from SUNY (can't remember his name) who said that SOY is a significant phyto-estrogen, and that he never allowed his sons to eat it.
I took that to heart, and began checking labels. There is soy protein in lots of things you would not expect, including tuna in cans. Much of our meat is soy fed, so I try to get range fed, hormone free, etc. Same for dairy.
We generally eat organic and fresh, with very few prepared foods, etc. This requires extra effort to source, and a bit more money, but it seems worth it to me.
Even though I was vigilant about diet, it does seem, if I remember correctly, that our son began to grow pubic hair about the age of ten or so, seventeen years ago.And I know of girls 18 or so now who began menstruating at age nine. Seems like a terrible burden on the children.
There are significant amounts other phyto-estrogens in the biosphere which are causing frogs to be deformed in such a way that they can't reproduce. Frogs are the canary-in-the-mine for teratogenic problems in the biosphere. In addition to hormonal pollutants, there are problems with synthetic fertilizers and weed killers concentrating in ground water.
In CA this year, we have a proposition requiring that GMO ingredients be labelled. Great outcry from "farmers" and "doctors" in ads on tv, but I think it's a reasonable minimum to require, and probably wouldn't cost that much to implement.
If you like the product, buy it. If you don't, don't. Isn't that the so-called sacred "market forces" at work? And aren't they always saying that we have a responsibility to be "informed consumers"? OK, inform me, and then let me vote with my wallet.
Probably. My family split from the Germantown bunch about a hundred and fifty years ago. I'm one of six males surviving and my grandfather was an only son, so the relation would be distant if at all.
Science still isn't sure and needs years to properly study the effects of chemicals in food on hormone production to determine why puberty is beginning earlier and earlier in children.
Really.
Well, when the number of adult-sized, middle-school children are equaling the amount of actual adults in their schools, it doesn't take years to know something is changing. When chemicals are ingested in everything we eat, common sense says these chemicals are affecting our bodies somehow.
There are those who believe this is a modern phenomenon, having not seen this with increasing numbers in recent years.
It's the hormones in the meat and milk!
I was surprised to see this story even appear in a major American news media site. I eagerly read it to see whether or not it was censored. Sure enough, here is the misleading info: "Why is this happening? Theories range from higher levels of obesity and inactivity to chemicals in food and water".
All Americans should understand that the news today is censored just like China and Russia. The only difference is that the source of the censorship is unchecked corporate power rather than unchecked state power.
NBC News would be subject to advertising bans and lawsuits if the word "Milk" had even been mentioned.
Since the science community already knows and admits that phyto-estrogens cause mutations in males then I suspect androgens are being added to foods to counter the feminizing effects of soy and other phyto-estrogens. I agree, our news is censored but the information is out there if you search for it.
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/phytoestrogens-and-male-reproductive-development
Mtg303,
Thanks, that is a very informative link. I would not want to label meat and milk as the only suspects here since there are clearly lots of chemical additives that should be on the list. I think this kind of important info should be more widely reported by our news media.
The link provided by Mtg303 is to the Weston Price Foundation which promotes some pretty nutty nutritional ideas. Basically they have as a pillar of their theology that you can never have too much meat and saturated fat. Before believing anything they say, you should understand that they are financially supported by the meat, dairy and egg industries and are really nothing more than a front for the these industries as they try to get Americans to eat ever more of the very products that are leading to the vast health issues facing this nation.
I'm going to agree that 'organic' foods are better for individuals to eat, however, we can't feed 7-8 billion people that way...
Drifting further off topic... We need to educate and empower women worldwide, so they have options aside from have more kids, so we don't have mass starvation in the coming decades.
it WILL be a cause for concern when lower income kids start having babies at age 9.
And it might kill them too so problem solved!
@whisperingsage.....THAT was just plain ol' nasty. Let's hope it's not someone in YOUR family.
The Liberals will want to start birth control and pass out the condoms to pre school's. when 9 year olds start becoming sexually active a 5 year old won't be safe. at that age they won't know better. this is concerning.
managing to bring politics into something completely not political: lame.
Sorry Mandy, but D buck drags politics into every discussion.
I am sure you could bring up how the sun was shining bright and they would blame Democrats for chasing away the clouds.
The age of puberty is the age we should be getting diligent on preparing our children for the realities of their bodies.
This bodes well for Jerry Springer and Maury.
It will be a cause for concern when children in ANY income bracket start having babies!
Considering that other animals grow up in less than 5 years, it would be nice if humans could grow up sooner. Childhood for a lot of people, including myself, just isn't much fun at all. It's more fun to be an adult because adults are allowed to drink, have sex, drive cars, own a house, and play with grown up toys instead of legos and GI Joe figurines.
Now, if only the economy would produce better paying jobs, men like myself could enjoy the perks of being a grownup like owning a car and getting to pick up chicks. When you're a grown man, you get tired of living with your parents and seeing other men get girlfriends while you have no shot at getting a woman.
What is this complaining. I am a grown man with a responsible job, and as a result I have less chicks, not more!
Speak for yourself. Just bc you had a bad childhood doesn't mean that is the "norm". You should know that you are the exception....not the rule.
From a cognitive perspective todays children are maturing WAY TOO fast. Add in the physical aspects that this article suggests and any reasonable parent sees the real challenge is how to SLOW DOWN the maturation process. Not speed it up.
Its the people on welfare that have the sex life, people that work don't have time for that.
When I was a kid girls didn't start looking like girls till about 16, and they were not under allot of pressure to act like a grown woman, kids were allowed to be kids and not under a ton of pressure, things for young people are screwed up enough without adding puberty at a earlier age. we need to watch the diet and take away the makeup. its a full childhood that makes for a well adjusted adult. by that I don't mean a active sex life as a child or a teen.
But...I like legos.
Gee, you missed the problem. Let me explain it slowly. The rest of your body matures before your brain or your emotions and you go do stupid stuff like drink, take drugs, drive recklessly, have unprotected sex, and procreate before you are part of a pair of responsible adults of opposite sex who are joined together with benefit of clergy.
Good lord, D. Buck. Did you grow up on an island? I am in my sixties and people had kids way younger when I was growing up than they do now. About half the girls I went to H.S. with had babies within a year or two of graduation, some before. BUT the change to people being older before having kids could change if 9 and 10 year olds are all sexually mature.
DBuck, funny, because my grandparents, and a lot of people their age, got married around 16 and were having families shortly after.
From a psychological perspective it takes many more years for humans to reach maturity. The problem that we are addressing is that sexual maturity is outpacing psychological maturity.
The social media are drenched in ever-more-explicit sex. Could that be having an effect on what goes on in the minds (and elsewhere) of little boys? If not, that would be truly remarkable.
Yup. I once watched an acne commercial when I was 5 and broke out into zits.
you took that sugar pill and got cancer too I bet
By that logic watching basketball games on T.V. would make us all 7 feet tall. But no, it doesn't work that way.
Does increase there self awareness to some degree and that leads to different patterns of behavior that would be better left out of the picture.
I have heard this before, the constant exposure through the media and other sources is one of the reasons for early sexual maturity. There is a close mind/body connection. This needs further exploration and study.
Sure it possibly could be related to hormones and chemicals and additives in our foods. It also might be evolution. Something is going to happen maybe in nature which will shorten the lifespan of people. Has anybody ever thought of that? We develop cures for diseases and then they become resistant or they mutate into something else, or else a new one pops up. Is nature possibly trying to tell us something? I mean with 30% of the population obese and a ton of very overweight kids, it means shorter lives for people who are unhealthy. I mean there is no magic pill to fix obesity or poor eating habits. OK, sure you can take insulin for the diabetes, and cholesterol or high blood pressure pills, but the clock will tick just as fast as if you didn't....
Heh heh....pubes.
oh haha you pervert suppose I have her lick your feet while shes down there that will be an extra 300 you siiiick fook
It is indeed easy to consider our food and environment as being a major contributing factor. This is especially true as our dietary trends like fast food items migrate into other countries they have also noticed increased breast development in girls and possible instances of early on-set puberty. However I am inclined to think that there are possibly more issues at play here.
For example we have been hearing of 9 and 10 year old girls in some very poor areas turning up pregnant and actually giving birth to babies. One would be hard pressed to suggest modern dietary issues are at play in those environments. In many cases they exist on a subsistence diet of rice, beans, and other grains with little red meat proteins. I suggest that early puberty is partly due to societal stress. When our bodies are under considerable stress such as poverty or fear of violence and victimization they tend to react ever so subtly to that stress. One thing they do is to store nutrients at a greater rate anticipating less food in the future. They (our bodies) also tend to gravitate toward earlier puberty and reproductive capability due to more deaths in general as well as infant deaths as a way to insure the preservation and continuation of our species.
In most cases we are unaware of these very minute changes and they generally occur rather slowly. However in our information rich world where we tend to measure and rate everything trying to see some indications in it we are now noticing these changes. While our food sources may also be contributing to this to some extent I do believe that the major player here is social stress. In some locations it is poverty but in major urban areas it is violence, joblessness, and a distraught economy. It might be interesting to do a study to compare the age of on-set in major urban areas and match that to more rural areas of the country where there is some parity in economic security. They would have to have similar diets and economic opportunities so as to rule out the poverty factor and focus just on the stress levels of the two groups. Just a thought.
Nature is an incredibly adaptive force for all living things. When there are too many mouths and not enough food and water creatures starve or die off from disease. However they also tend to produce smaller liters of young or avoid reproducing at all. However when there is some catastrophic event that causes mass death or too many predators are taking a toll on the fauna the liters tend to get larger producing more viable young to carry on the species. Sometimes we may just be too close to the problems to see the causes accurately and then jump to conclusions over lesser issues such as blaming the diet and chemical environment for early puberty. I think social stress has more of an influence here.
Monsanto has pushed their projects into the third world, and that has to have an effect. They are the masters of GMO. And child marriage is one reason for the pregnancies. (besides their poor bodies being messed up) There are heart breaking videos on youtube about this.
Look up GMO rats and you can see scientific evidence that GMO's are very bad things. 99% of soy is GMO, the study could not find a GMO free source of soy. They just used the one that had then least as their control.
Oops, let's also not forget in the US at least, Parabens in toiletries (and check food too) are estrogen stimulators, plastics are estrogen stimulators and soy is the highest phytoestrogen plant there is. This could no0t be good. I always check labels and did not buy rice bran pellets from one particular company (for my animals) because it had parabens in there as a preservative. I just can't allow that. I made the mistake of feeding soy to my animals fro 2 years based on sales hype in farm literature, and the problems were too extensive to go into detail here- but in a nutshell, goats; infertility, premature births, poor growth, ricketslike bone development in young, poor hoof development, rabbits permanent infertility. I had to start over with a new herd. Chickens were most tolerant of it- they have enzymes that can split a lot of things that would be toxic to us. And they have high body heat (106 F) that would speed up the process. I did have one hen that had an egg get caught in her abdomen and not come out. And I had one hen that started to crow. No more soy for them either.
One thing puzzles me though, with all the estrogens in our environment, what could be causing the boys to mature? Because usually estrogen on boys causes breast development and such. Well, we are seeing that though. On boys that aren't even fat.
well sheepherder since you eat everything in sight maybe thats why ???
its the food its the water its gods will......................its just stress you fat ignorant piggy like entity and you aren't helping go on a diet Oinker jeeeesas and stop smoking yo make me hurl
As for over-all stress within society being at the cause of the early sexual maturation I would disagree. I have seen a lot of peer related stress starting at earlier and earlier ages. A sixth grade boy misreads organism for orgasam in class. Is this related to sexual maturation or to the constant chatter among peers? Is this constant chatter among peers related to early and excessive exposure by media and other sources? The first time I heard the word orgasam was when I was married. I was in seventh grade when I saw the word "@!$%#" written on the railroad underpass. When I asked what the word meant my friends told me "I don't know but it is bad word and you can't say it." My daughter came home from kindergarten class asking me what the word "@!$%#" meant because it was written on the stall in the girls restroom. I was born in 1950, my daughter 1972. I was shocked at the changes in the schools. As for population, this has doubled since 1952. Over-populations should slow the sexual maturation process not increase it. Our food supply? I have read the articles. I am not a scientist. I have switched to organic. As for my personal family history my maternal great grandmother was 17 at first menses, my mother age 13 at first menses, I was age 11 at first menses, a sister 15 years younger was age 9 at first menses. On the other hand my daughter was age 12 at first menses as were her friends. Early sexual maturation is a complex problem. What are we missing? What are we not examining?
I think it is something in the food, it is just not natural, to much salt and preservative. Plus all the fast food and junk food that they are eating. These kids are just way too big for there age.
I guess jerry sandusky wasn't such a pervert after all.
maybe not as perverted as you if you think little boys are fair game you are now being watched you sick foooken freak
Do you think it might have something to do with sex education in grade school? Just saying!!!
I'd say sex education via the internet is the problem. Not some boring sex ed class where we learn about body development.
nope just stress thats it nothing more--------------- look at where we are now to where we're a few years ago ...... we were then in a faster space or pace if you will ..... you might get the idea........ the Quickening started over 40 years ago..... where were U Hummmmmmm begs an answer to the question now versus then what were you doing differently as opposed to what we are all doing differently !!!!??? pretty much the same thing except we do it faster and that goes for everything ......
Nope its stress
A-rand, no, absolutely not, you have that backwards. The states with abstinence only education have the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STD's, due to ignorance and due to the kids' refusal to admit to themselves that they are even having sex and need to take steps to plan for it safely. By contrast, having more information causes the kids to act more responsibly. But giving them knowledge of how the human body works does NOT cause physical changes to occur at an earlier age.
The sexual comments and chatter among children starts before sex education in schools is introduced. Much of this is introduced by parents. Homophobic fathers in response to the gay rights movement is at the base of some of this. Some of this is introduced because children need to know what is appropriate and inappropriate to avert potention sexual molestation. The media is a part of the problem but not the only problem. Is the early introduction of sexual materials the cause of early sexual maturation? There is a mind/body connection. Is this the cause? I don't know. This needs further study.
Does that mean men might actually have a chance to mature and grow up before they die?
My husband says "Probably not".
Jainie, something tells me you're probably more juvinle and immature than most 9 year old boys...
so the testicles would have to measured at least twice to see if and when they have enlarged. this seems like invasive testing on boys to obtain these results, which are even then sketchy. children of both sexes entering puberty are entitled to privacy. it seems like questionaires used with parents guidance would be more appropriate. what a fine area of study for a pedophile to show up.
Yes Jack it seems like sexual abuse.
you mean liek you you sick Fooken weirdo it would take a far stretch of the imagination to go from boys are getting bigger faster to hey um errr we are like crossing the line here you weirdo I suppose it takes all kinds but your kind are doomed thank god weirdo
It's part of standard checking for undescended testicles; would want your son to end up like Hitler, would you?
Greg..........exactly!!!!!
Of course it couldn't have anything to do with all of the Hollywood movies and the feel good society we live in?
I can remember at 8 years old one of the kids in the neighborhood swiped a girlie magazine form his dad and yes, we all got a little aroused. I'm 70 and we didn't eat food laced with chemicals back then.
My grandmother was a farmer, born in the 1800s and she was married and gave birth at 13. I'm really not so sure it has anything to do with the food, but nice try anyway.
nope just stress thats the only reason
Yes, that is correct.
Pornography is readily available in any format today. The difference between the girlie magazines of the 1950's and the graphic dipiction of sexual acts on computer sites is like the difference between night and day but the early maturation started before the proliferation of computer porn. The earliest pornography goes back to cave man drawings. Children do not need to be exposed to pornography but the parents must take responsiblity for the rearing of their children. If pornograhy is in the house, the vehicle or the shed, a friend's house, on the computer etc., children will find it. Those that do not take responsiblity for the rearing of their children also expose other children through their own children. What do you propose? I don't think we can turn the clock back and make laws against pornography. The supreme court's ruling that it is dependent upon the individual community to set the standards of what pornography is but no one has thus far set any standards ruling against pornography. Should we make individual community laws defining pornography and deny access to children and hold parents accountable if thier children are exposed to pornography? If pornography is at the crux of the problem associated with early sexual maturation, it needs to be proved before laws can be made to protect the children.
Many researchers at our major universities really do know what is taking place but if they say anything their fired and the college will see funds dry up. The obesity epidemic due to high fructose corn syrup and the addition of hormones and GMO's to our food are all implicated. The American public seems to really love their imposed ignorance. See "Genetic Roulette" and make your own decision. Watch "Forks over Knives" to see what our crummy diet is doing to us. Our health is in our own hands, why don't we take more responsibility?
Because like everything else Takeing responsibility requires work, and most people do not like to do that.
Time to lower the age of consent before the jails get even more overcrowded.
You sound like one of those vindictive parents who ruins a young man's life and brands him a sex offender, even though sex between him and his girlfriend WAS consensual.
gdimatt, at what age do you propose we make "the age of consent?" At what age do we decide that a male or a female is mature enough to give an informed consent? The discussion is about early sexual maturation. Get with the program; stay on the subject.
Our bodies need certain building blocks to grow and function properly, including trace minerals and vitamins. I believe that this new generation of children being raised on fast food and easy to prepare store bought processed food are going into puberty earlier for a very specific reason. The foods they are eating provide more calories than nutrition. Lacking all the needed the nutrition (including naturally occurring enzymes) the body goes into puberty early in an attempt to be able to procreate early because the body "knows" it is in trouble. With this generation being raised on these foods, I believe you will start seeing diseases that used to be associated with old age start appearing in the teens and twenties. This generation will probably also have a drastically reduced life span. Living to only the 40's and 50's will become commonplace unless we start changing our habits.
your full of your own cap leave everyone else's alone......
you Obviously eat far too much red meat ...........
You can blame it on the food all you want, but I blame it on the feel good society we all live in. This whole thing started back in the early '60s with MR. Leary and others. Peace, love and sex and really not in that order. I know, I was part of it. We thought we would change the world. Guess what, unfortunately we did.
I too was an adolescent of the sixties. The ludicrous prouncement by Timothy Leary that LSD is a mind expanding drug reverberates in my memory today. This prominent professor who was doing experiments using college kids, didn't know the difference between mind expanding and mind altering. Perhaps we should be examining pharmceuticals as well as illicit drugs used by parents as a potential cause of early sexual maturation as well as the large number of disorders that are being diagnosed in elementary school children.
I agree, it is SICKENING to see so many young children drugged beyond recognition by their teachers, parents, etc. They're zombified little robots. The saddest part is that these kids are too young to realize that they can spit them out behind mommy's back if they want to. Oh well.
And none of those drugs are approved for children under eighteen. Hell, they aren't even approved for young adults.
You're basically playing Russian Roulette with your kid's brain if you give them those types of drugs.
its just Stress with all the crap we put kids through to be better than US of course its stress and a biological trigger has been pulled is called the quickening and its just like normal man relax I am old now but I was Kickin it with the cheerleader next door at 9 years old and she was unconditionally in love....
woohooo and I certainly liked that attention o yes ea darling Ellen if you're reading this I kept my promise no lady that had me.... would go home disappointed ever............. thats a promise I had no problem keeping with your Loving guidance and encouagement MMMMMMMmmmMMmmm yea No problemo
Our life span is much longer now than it was in the early 18 and 1900s. Look it up. I agree, kids eat way too much junk food, but who is at fault? We have lost family values. Just because all of the junk food advertised on kids TV doesn't mean parents aren't responsible for what their kids eat. Look at all of the kids in the inner cities that don't even have a father. Unfortunately, this is becoming the norm and it is not politically correct to mention it.
If we all ate organic, most of the world would starve. Look that up also.
a-rand, you can blame family values, but kids just dont up and decide to go through puberty
The only organic I believe in is what I grow in my garden. When I see grown organic coming from Mexico and South American countries, I get a little suspicious. Don't you?
Too many boys develop breasts these days.
I feed my boys only whole grains, organic veggies, no red meat, and they still started getting massive leg hair around age 6. Praying no hair anywhere else for a while.
I didn't get hair around the middle till I was in 6th grade, but I was still interested in girls before that. We ate organic also, because that was all that was available back then. We tried to make it with the girls as early as 6th grade, but guess what, the girls wouldn't go for it. They had parents that taught them right from wrong. We have lost that in this generation.
obviously your parents didn't teach you that since you were pressuring them huh a-rand? or do you have the "boys will be boys" mentality and its all on the girls.
id base more of it on society....kids see more sex images. you can block the TV from this but they still got hte interent and the media...so it doesnt matter...girls maturity levels have gotten earlier thats why guys are now also.. girls mature faster and puberty.. now you got guys doing the same...i blame society and other factors... such as the media and the fact that the computer now is like the largest source of porn and crap...plus fashion and design the last 20-30 years have changed.. girls in the 40's to 60's.. evne 70's dressed good.. then we hit the 90's and so on and it sucks.. little girls already dressing bad for there age... why the heck does your little 10 year old need to be half naked already? if you see our styles.. in the last 10-15 years.. its focused on legs, butt, and breasts.. in the 60'sto 80's it was like hair and legs alone....wth is wrong with society? plus more billboards do that cosmo girl thing w/e...and make up is being intorduced earlier to 8 year old girls......either technology is doing so well at jump starting us from our primative ways or its just a considence....
Kids have been interested in sex since they were young. No surprise here...Just another waste of tax dollars.
cmach is an idiot. Maybe he was molested as a kid. Sure some kids may be interested in sex, but not the normal ones. Interest in sex comes much later, and the later the better I might add. I started sneaking my old man's playboy magazines around 13 years old. And playboys were really mild according to today's stuff. Gynecologists don't see as much p$$y as a 15 year old does today. Anyway, as many of you have said, it's the food, their slowing killing us. Take charge and protect your kids from the madness of Monsanto and other major food manufacturers.
Probably why you have kids having babies and boys rapeing the young girls A the female teachers getting caught with yung boys!!!
You must have a bushy one.