What are the causes of precocious puberty?

The concept of precocious puberty may be of great concern to most people, especially parents with children. No one wants their children to suffer from precocious puberty, because the harm of precocious puberty is very great. If a child suffers from precocious puberty, it is estimated that the child will develop much earlier than children of the same age in the future, and the growth and development of the body will also stop. So what are the reasons that affect precocious puberty?

Figures: The number of children with precocious puberty increases by 20% each year

"There are more and more children suffering from precocious puberty, which should arouse great concern from parents and society." Professor Lei Peiyun, who has long been committed to the research and treatment of precocious puberty in children at the Children's Hospital, said that in recent years, the hospital's judgment and diagnosis of the age of precocious puberty in children has basically been consistent with the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Precocious Puberty (Trial)" recently issued by the Ministry of Health, that is, the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 9 in boys and before the age of 8 in girls is "precocious puberty."

"Especially during the summer vacation every year, there are queues almost every day." Professor Lei said that due to the influence of various factors such as diet, the incidence of precocious puberty in children is now very high. During the summer vacation, the hospital saw almost 100 children every day, of which 30% were diagnosed with precocious puberty. Among them, the proportion of female children is higher than that of male children, exceeding 60%. According to clinical statistics, children with precocious puberty are mostly between 5 and 8 years old. "But a very few children are surprisingly young." Professor Lei said that among the many children, there are even cases of girls as young as two or three years old getting their periods.

Professor Lei also said that the number of children suffering from precocious puberty is increasing at an alarming rate. She introduced that when the hospital's endocrinology department's precocious puberty clinic was first established in 1990, only 30 children with precocious puberty were admitted each year, but by 1998 the number reached 300. In 2004, the number reached more than 1,000. In recent years, the number of children affected has been about 2,000 per year. Based on this rate, the number of children suffering from precocious puberty increases by more than 20% every year.

Harm - serious impact on psychological and physiological health

"For children with precocious puberty, if not treated and controlled in time, it will directly bring psychological and physiological effects to the children." Professor Lei said that because children with precocious puberty develop physically earlier and their epiphyses heal earlier, although they are taller than children of the same age at the beginning, their height will eventually be shorter than that of ordinary people. Children with severe precocious puberty often do not reach 1.50 meters in height.

Secondly, in addition to affecting height, precocious puberty also has a greater impact on children's mental health. Children with precocious puberty are physically mature, but because they are too young and have not received much education, their psychology cannot keep up with the pace of physical maturity. Problems will then arise, such as early love, early pregnancy, sexual assault, and premature sexual activity.

In addition, many children with precocious puberty suffer from psychological trauma due to the early appearance of "secondary sexual characteristics", becoming shy and inferior. In severe cases, they develop psychological illnesses such as anxiety, become withdrawn, and are unwilling to interact with others.

Causes – Poor diet is to blame

Why do children suffer from precocious puberty? Professor Lei said that there are many reasons for precocious puberty, but diet is the main reason.

"Many foods are rich in hormones. If children consume these ingredients for a long time, they will become children with precocious puberty." Professor Lei introduced that medical surveys have shown that children with precocious puberty often eat farmed chickens, ducks, eels, aquatic products and other meats. These foods are rich in estrogen and growth hormone. At the same time, various antibiotics, food additives, various ripening agents in ripening vegetables and fruits, as well as many parents letting their children take supplements such as bovine colostrum and royal jelly for a long time, are all "catalysts" that lead to precocious puberty in children. In addition, in daily life, substances discharged by detergents, pesticides and plastic industries and their decomposition products can also produce hormone pollutants, which are all inducements for precocious puberty in children.

Most of the causes that affect precocious puberty are closely related to diet. Diet is the main culprit that affects precocious puberty. For example, if you eat chicken, duck, fish, or aquatic animals such as eel, these meats contain relatively high levels of hormones, so they can easily stimulate the child's body and cause precocious puberty.