The growing and extremely troubling problem of girls reaching puberty early was first identified in 1997 and has obvious visual signs that are not easy to ignore.
In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 white girls, 15 in 100 Hispanic girls, and 25 in 100 African American girls are experiencing breast development as early as 7 years old! Many more are reaching this development milestone by 9-10 years old, something that was unheard of only a generation ago.
The problem of early puberty has more subtle physical signs in boys, however, which has made it more difficult for researchers to study until now.
The November 2012 issue of Pediatrics which was published online on October 20, 2012 confirms what many have long suspected – that boys are hitting puberty very early as well, in some cases a full 2 years earlier than medical textbooks indicate as standard.
The study included an examination of the pubertal characteristics of more than 4,100 boys via data collected by 212 practitioners in 144 pediatric offices across 41 states.
The results showed that the genital and pubic hair growth which are standard indications of the onset of puberty were 6 months to as much as 2 years earlier than only a few decades ago.
The earliest puberty recorded by the Pediatricians was 10.1 years old for non-Hispanic white boys, 10.4 years old for Hispanic boys, and 9.14 years for African-American boys.
While the researchers conclude that the reasons for boys reaching maturity earlier are unclear, it is fairly obvious from a common sense perspective that environmental concerns are very likely a large contributing factor.
Could Antibiotics in Animal Feed be the Cause?
Conventional farmers have been adding antibiotics to animal feed and even water since the 1960s. This practice became standard because animals subjected to low, long term doses of antibiotics not only did not get sick as much but they also grew much faster.
Animals that mature faster help improve the bottom line as more animals are ready for slaughter within a shorter period of time which allows farms using antibiotic laced feed or water to be more profitable.
Children who frequently eat conventionally produced meat and dairy sourced from animals fed antibiotic laced feed are very likely albeit indirectly ingesting low levels of antibiotics as well which could be contributing to the continued drop in the age of puberty onset not only for boys but girls as well.
New FDA Guideline: Stop the Antibiotics in Animal Feed
In April 2012, the FDA came out against the routine use of antibiotics in animal feed or water due to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in humans which has now reached crisis proportions as there are now strains of MRSA and TB that are resistant to all last line of defense antibiotics.
The new FDA guidelines ask but do not require drug companies to withhold sale of antibiotics used as growth promoters in animals such as penicillin and tetracycline which are medically important to human disease management.
Antibiotics could still be given to sick animals, but feed containing antibiotics would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Companies have 3 years to to implement the changes and if the FDA determines that some companies aren’t complying, then the force of law via regulation will be considered at that time.
Parents Must Actively Take Steps to Avoid Antibiotic Exposure for Their Children
In the meantime, it would be wise for concerned parents to take the trouble to source antibiotic free meats and dairy for their children, preferably locally sourced and grassfed to maximize nutritional content as well. Children grow up too quickly as it is even without the problem of accelerated puberty.
Waiting a minimum of another 3 years to gauge whether companies are truly complying with the new FDA guideline to withhold antibiotics from animal feed unless medically necessary is far too long.
It would also be wise for parents to discuss with their doctor how to avoid routine antibiotics for healthy children for illnesses that will usually resolve on their own without any meds such as strep and ear infections. Holistic doctors and homeopathists offer many other options besides antibiotics to help children recover from illness without the easy crutch of antibiotics.
Given that overexposure to these types of drugs is highly suspect as a cause for faster development in children just as it is documented to do in animals, seeking alternative medical care to avoid antibiotics for your children as much as possible would be a smart move indeed to protect not only their reproductive health but their experience of childhood as well.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Study Documents Early Puberty Onset in Boys
FDA: Stop Giving Antibiotics to Animals
More Girls Starting Puberty Early
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know about anyone else..but my kids are developing normally. My eldest daughter is only now starting to have cycles and she is 12. Same age I was. Antibiotics are very infrequently used in this house..not counting what I ended up using for an infection, the last time one of the kids ended up using them was when my oldest child was 1 and had a throat infection. He’s now 16.
@Ramona mine too … we Moms need to know this info as those of us who protect our children from antibiotics and the faster maturity they induce need to be able to explain to our children why they aren’t as big as their peers. Children are not supposed to develop so fast like they are today and truly healthy children will hit puberty at a normal time and we need to explain to our children the reasons why.
Faster growth and bigger at a young age does not necssarily mean better when it comes to children.
Another cause that has been suspected is the growth hormones being fed and injected into the livestock. I’ve also read studies about the use of soy products causing problems with boys developing properly and girls developing too early due to the natural estrogen. A high soy diet is not really a good option for the young or males.
*shrugs* I couldn’t tell you one way or the other. We very sparingly use antibiotics here, and my 10 yr old boy is just hitting puberty, which is actually a couple years later than when I started noticing my changes. My 8 yr old however, has a dusting of “baby down” that never went away. His arms and even legs are hairier than would be expected, and even his back is a little hairy. granted its all fine blond hair and not overly noticeable. My 14 yr old daughter…well she’ll always develop faster than I want her to, but that’s just because she’s my only daughter and my little princess
Stay far, far away from Cipro, Levaquin and any other flourine based anti-biotics and medications. They can made your tendons burst. http://pinterest.com/barbiec1953/cipro-levaquin-floxin-and-other-flourinated-antibi/
I think it has a lot to do with the hormones in the meat and dairy. Have you ever read the article by Michael Pollan called Power Steer?
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/power-steer/
“First stop was a hopper filled with Rumensin, a powerful antibiotic that No. 534 will consume with his feed every day for the rest of his life. Calves have no need of regular medication while on grass, but as soon as they’re placed in the backgrounding pen, they’re apt to get sick. Why? The stress of weaning is a factor, but the main culprit is the feed. The shift to a “hot ration” of grain can so disturb the cow’s digestive process—its rumen, in particular—that it can kill the animal if not managed carefully and accompanied by antibiotics.
After we’d scooped the ingredients into the hopper and turned on the mixer, Hadrick deftly sidled the tractor alongside the pen and flipped a switch to release a dusty tan stream of feed in a long, even line. No. 534 was one of the first animals to belly up to the rail for breakfast. He was heftier than his pen mates and, I decided, sparkier too. That morning, Hadrick and I gave each calf six pounds of corn mixed with seven pounds of ground alfalfa hay and a quarter-pound of Rumensin. Soon after my visit, this ration would be cranked up to 14 pounds of corn and 6 pounds of hay—and added two and a half pounds every day to No. 534.”
I think it makes more sense to investigate all the synthetic and plant hormones in our diets these days.
I’m so glad you brought this up. I’ve read articles about puberty happening to girls as early as 7 but haven’t ever seen articles on this happening to boys as well. Marci Blubaugh, great information. I only know of one place to buy grassfed beef in San Antonio and it sells out quickly and I live an hour outside of S.A. Raw milk is 2 hours away. :/ I wish it was all more easily accessible to more people.
This is so important. The use of hormones, antibiotics, and steroids in livestock feed has had devastating consequences for so many children. Early puberty just did not happen before these additives were introduced.
Antibiotics are given to animals to make them grow faster, and it makes sense that they would have an effect on young boys.
I do all I can to make sure that my family never eat meat containing antibiotics, or steroids, or added hormones. We are always better off eating the unmodified food of our ancestors, whenever possible.
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I believe this is absolutely an issue; but also in combination with other factors! On a related side note; I just finished reading ‘Bringing up Girls’ by Dr. James Dobson and he talked about how the relationship between dad and daughter and how much affection a daughter gets from her father can effect the onset of menstruation. It has to do with pheromones.
@Ellie yes that is a factor for girls but not for boys as estrogens in the diet and in the environment would hinder puberty in boys or make it not happen at all not accelerate it like it does in girls.
For example boys fed soy formula are having DELAYED puberty or worse not having it at all. For those boys that have it accelerated, antibiotics is the likely cause. Hopefully studies will bear this out at some point but for now, we Moms must protect our boys!
Thanks for the info!
Interesting. I actually started puberty early at 11 so its always kind of made me wonder. Well, I’ve read before about the dangers of endocrine disrupters affecting the hormone system in kids and causing them to develop breast at a young age.
Interesting post. My question is, though, what is the danger of a child having early puberty? I agree that keeping the kids away form antibiotics as much as possible is a very positive thing, but is there truly a danger in starting puberty early? Just curious.
Oh, antibiotics. What a double edged sword. They save lives when used appropriately. But in the medical world, theyre often passed out like Advil. And in our food world…used far too much. The problem there is not that they arent needed to treat the animal, but that if we raised our food in more sanitary conditions, then we wouldnt have rampant sickness.
@Regina girl’s are much more prone to breast cancer later in life if puberty starts so early. With boys, who knows as this is so new but perhaps prostate cancer risk goes up? Also, children with early puberty tend to get obese but I can’t remember where I read that.
I haven’t read that, but have read that obesity can bring on early puberty in girls.
I’ve also read that soy can contribute to this.
I remember in like ’96 or ’97, my best friend in elementary school grew breasts and started her period, she was only 8. The part that always confused me is that even back then I was told by doctors that being fat meant I was going to have hormone problems and start puberty early, but she was this super skinny, active sports person who ate well and had her period a full 3 years before me. Fat does contribute to health problems, but it’s primarily a symptom, not a cause. You can look “healthy” and still have a messed up endocrine system, obviously.
@Lorri soy can accelerate puberty in girls .. never read this for boys though. Given that it’s plant estrogens, it would seem to delay it rather than accelerate puberty. either way, there are a lot of things messing up our kids hormones no doubt.
The article I read was on dr Ted broer’s website. Pretty interesting!
Have asked many many doctors why probiotics aren’t prescribed as a matter of course in medicine..have never receiced much but a grunt and mumble….Killing your gut flora is good for you ?? HELLO
You eat what your food eats. That’s why it is so important to source quality meats that have only been fed the best and received no hormones, antibiotics or pesticide/GMO feed.
We use probiotics/vitamins in our house for our family. We also have a dairy farm. We sale our milk to the local co-op & our cows that are sold to beef to our local sale barn. Our milk & meat is tested like crazy for antibiotics & we are randomly inspected… if we sent a cow with antibiotics, huge trouble… and we cannot afford trouble like that. If we send “hot milk” then not only are we in trouble for our milk… we have to pay the fines & pay for the whole truck of milk. I did want to say something about the above mentioned post…. If we fed our calves that much grain… they would bloat up & die. Their little bodies cannot handle that…. And our calves do just fine when weaned… they are not stressed out…
Spook, my sons pediatrician actually offers coupons for probiotics, but thats about the closest Ive ever seen.
And the medical tyranny never stops… *sigh* Only if the American people as a whole started caring about our food, water, and overall health. Most want quantity over quality, and at what cost? Our health & future generations to come…
I have read that when they put 40 animals in a pen in the feedlot, that one or more of the heifers is in season at any one time. To avoid the activity provoked by being in season, I am told that they give drugs to stop the heifters from cycling. Do you want to feed your family meat from such animals. It makes sense to me that these “stop the cycling” drugs can have an effect of the onset of puberty in children. The state veterinary meat inspector for Arizona told me in 1970 that he suspected that the DES given to cattle at that time had affected his two daughter’s onset of puberty. I have raised organic beef for the last 42 years
There are so many places we are exposed to antibiotics – the doctor’s office, commercial meats, and also in our water supply. I was at a party and we were talking about the pollution in our water and someone mentioned that even with a water filter most water still contains trace amounts of antibiotics, especially if you are drinking or using tap water. This is a source that I’m pretty sure a lot of people don’t think of when trying to avoid antibiotic exposure. That’s why eating antibiotic-free meats, fish, dairy, poultry, and eggs is so important, as well as including home-cultured veggies and dairy foods, and taking a therapeutic probiotic as well.
I definitely see an overuse of antibiotics in animal feed and in human medicine, but I am not sure I see the connection to earlier puberty in boys. Couldn’t we just as easily say it’s because of vaccines?
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