Research: American boys enter puberty early, or it is caused by obesity

Research: American boys enter puberty early, or it is caused by obesity. A large study by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that compared with decades ago, American boys now enter puberty earlier...

Study: American boys are entering puberty earlier than they were a few decades ago, according to a large study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. There are signs that boys go through puberty six months to two years earlier. The study was announced Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics' national meeting and published online in the journal Pediatrics. Research shows that early puberty in boys may be related to changes in eating habits, reduced physical activity and other environmental factors. Obesity and overweight may be one of the key factors, because leptin secreted by fat cells can affect the reproductive system. But experts say further research is needed. The new study, which draws on records from about 200 pediatricians in 41 states across the United States, examined the genital development of 4,131 boys aged 6 to 16 years old. Previous research reports show that boys generally enter puberty at the age of 11 and a half. But experts caution that previous studies were smaller or used different methods, making detailed comparisons difficult. New research also finds that African-American boys go through puberty earlier than whites and Hispanics, and other studies show that African-American girls are also the first to reach puberty. The researchers say the difference is most likely due to genetics. Some experts said that this study will be very useful to pediatricians and urologists. ?#19987; Experts say that one possible factor causing precocious puberty in children is the early release of sex hormones from the pituitary gland and hypothalamus in the central nervous system (CNS) of the brain. Sometimes, however, precocious puberty is also caused by premature secretion of hormones from peripheral sources. In addition, there are rare cases where children develop precocious puberty due to unidentified tumor growth. The growth sites include the brain, or other hormone-secreting organs, such as the ovaries in women, the testicles in men, or the adrenal glands in both sexes. Other rarer factors include cerebral hemorrhage, unknown brain infection, trauma, etc. In short, it is helpful for parents and doctors to understand their children's development time to help them conduct timely health checkups or provide puberty education.