Scientists are warning of a problem that may become a public health problem in the coming years: puberty is coming earlier, especially in girls. This is reflected in a study published in the journal Jama Pediatrics, which concludes that breast development in girls or thelarche -one of the first signs of the arrival of puberty- has advanced an average of three months per decade since the end of the decade. of the seventies of the last century.
The causes of this advance are still under investigation, but experts point to obesity and endocrine disruptors present in all types of products for daily use as those responsible for this phenomenon that also has its incidence ahead of the arrival of the first menstruation. The problem is that if this process continues and development continues to advance, there may be risks to the health of minors.
Medicine considers precocious puberty that which occurs before the age of eight in girls and nine in boys. When it occurs, it is necessary to medically evaluate the situation by a specialist and a treatment can be prescribed. But the scientists who have been part of this international study affirm that, in light of these results, the change in these criteria should be studied. "The medical community needs current and relevant data to redefine precocious puberty, because the traditional definition may be out of date, at least in some regions of the world," they explain.
In the case of children, a change is also taking place, which has been observed mainly in the age of the growth spurt, one of the indicators of puberty in males and which occurs earlier each time.
Regarding obesity as one of the possible causes, it is important to note that there are already numerous studies that demonstrate this relationship. This is the case of this research carried out by the Cyber Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition, which details the existence of a new regulatory circuit, through which metabolic signals derived from abnormal situations, such as thinness or early obesity , modify the activity of a regulatory molecule, called Sirt1, which in turn controls the expression of a fundamental factor for the activation of puberty, Kiss1.
As for endocrine disruptors, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, it is "an agent that interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding or elimination of natural hormones present in the body that are responsible for maintaining homeostasis." , reproduction, development and/or behaviour.
A review carried out by experts from the University of Granada indicates that one of the consequences of exposure to these substances that are present in products and foods of daily use is the "increase in alterations of sexual development (advancement of the presentation of the puberty in girls, increased gynecomastia in boys)".
The advancement of puberty has been associated with a greater risk of suffering certain diseases such as cardiovascular diseases or breast cancer, as well as a greater possibility of suffering depressive or anxious states.
