It is not easy for children to be prepared emotionally and psychologically to handle early onset of puberty. Therefore, most of the parents get concerned about early puberty in children, especially in girls. Find out how to prevent early puberty in girls.Today, a portion of 16% of girls enter puberty by the age of 7, and about 30% by the age of 8, which has led to early puberty in girls.
A lot of factors come into play but as a parent, you can narrow down the factors that facilitate puberty in young girls and help them postpone it for better growth and development.
Factors That Have Led to Early Puberty in Girls
Puberty is regulated by various neurological and hormonal functions but scientific research has suggested that there a certain factors that come to play, when contributing to decline in age as far as puberty is concerned:
Increased Childhood Obesity
Due to presence of excess body fat, there is an alteration in the level of hormones in the body such as Insulin and Estrogen. This alteration and extra body fat has been believed to be responsible for the acceleration of
puberty in young girls. The lack in physical activity can decrease the melatonin levels in body and lead to early pubertal development.
Increased Animal Protein Intake
Intake of animal protein from meat starting from an early age of 3 has also been known to cause
early puberty in girls. Also, intake of dairy products on regular basis along with consumption of soft drinks can accelerate puberty in young girls.
Dietary Factors
Girls who generally eat low nutrient diets and lack in macronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and whole foods also tend to enter puberty earlier. Modern diet consumers eat a lot of processed and
fast food which disrupts natural digestion and development.
How Do The Factors Affect Our Children?
Early puberty in girls is a sign of premature aging and development. Early puberty in girls has an alarming consequence on our children, whether you know it or not. The most significant consequence of early puberty is an increased risk for cancer in future, especially breast and ovarian cancer. Early onset of puberty has become a risk factor for breast cancer and lifetime exposure to ovarian hormones. It can also lead to severe hormonal changes and change in physical appearance that could lead to
lower self esteem in young girls.
Why Is This Worth Worrying About?
Girls of 7, 8 or 9 years old are still psychologically children. We cannot assume them to handle puberty emotionally or psychologically at such a young age. Early puberty comes with its own risks, including psychological problems during adolescence such as
depression, eating disorders, mood swings, anxiety and low self esteem. Girls who mature early can also fall prey to bad habits and risky behaviour such as smoking, drinking and drug intake.
What Can You Do As A Parent?
Include Whole Plant Based Food in Diet
Make sure your girl’s diet comprises of enough whole plant based foods rather than just animal protein. This will keep your child’s protein range healthy and reduce consumption of animal protein. You should include a wide variety of natural plant foods such as green vegetables, seeds, fruits, beans and whole grains.
Reduce Consumption of Dairy Products
Reduce the consumption of dairy products in your child’s diet as it has been considered one of the biggest contributors to early puberty in girls.
Encourage Physical Fitness
You can encourage your child to reach the optimum body weight according to their height, through regular exercise physical activity such as jogging, cycling and yoga.
Reduce Intake of Processed Food
You can encourage your girl to reduce intake of processed foods which promote obesity and other harmful lifestyle diseases.
Reduce Exposure to BPA
You can buy organic food to and minimize your child’s exposure risk to BPA. You can avoid using rigid plastics such as plastic water bottles and minimize the use of canned food.
In a nutshell, the early onset of puberty in girls is an unfortunate event that fortunately we can stop. War on breast cancer and ovarian cancer can also be won, saving millions of young lives. You, as a parent, can be the best effective health care available to your child, so be vigilant and always proactive in ensuring your child’s health.
What are the common causes of early puberty in girls? Do poor eating habits cause early puberty in girls? How to prevent early puberty in girls? Discuss here.