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You hear it all the time, kids grow like weeds. And, an increasing body of research is revealing that kids are growing up faster than ever before.

According to a new study published in Pediatrics, young girls are increasingly reaching puberty earlier — putting them at increased risk for breast cancer and type 2 diabetes as well as a laundry list of psychological impacts and high-risk behaviors.

How much faster are our girls growing up? In the United States in the early 1800s, breast buds and menarche arrived around ages 13 and 16 respectively. Those changes now come around ages 9 and a half and 12 and a half!

Lead author of this newest study, Dr. Frank Biro, is cited in Time Magazine as speculating that the primary driver behind this shift

“may be overweight and obesity, because estrogen is sequestered in fat tissue. But environmental exposures to chemicals — including pesticides and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like bisphenol A (BPA), commonly found in plastics, and phthalates, which are contained in many personal-care products — could also play a role.”

This is the latest in a growing body of evidence showing that both girls and boys are developing earlier than ever before and that common chemicals in everyday products are suspect.

In an in-depth article from The Economist’s Intelligent Life magazine, aptly called Puberty Blues, author Fiona Neill highlights the complexities of the issue saying,

“the debate over EDCs is mired in controversy, akin to the debate over global warming, with environmentalists on one side, big business on the other, and scientists caught in the middle. It is a particularly tricky area of research because we are all now exposed to a cocktail of EDCs in our daily life. This makes it hard to measure how any individual compound might affect the endocrine system. It is almost impossible to measure individual exposure. And it’s likely that this chemical cocktail is passed from mother to baby in the womb.”

Endocrinologist Professor Niels Skakkebaek, a pioneer in the field and one of the first scientists to warn of the dangers of endocrine disrupting chemicals, is quoted at length about EDCs and early puberty. “Children are extremely sensitive to hormones before puberty,” says Skakkebaek, “because they are producing so little that small amounts can make a difference.”

Skakkebaek’s list of key suspects include, phthalates, Bisphenol A, parabens, and phyto-oestrogens (“like lavender, fennel and tea-tree, and perhaps most significantly, given its widespread use in America, genistein in soya”).

Neill also cites Skakkabaek as saying “American children have a particularly high exposure to EDCs because 80% of American beef is still treated with growth promoters. In most cases a tag containing a mix of natural sex hormones (a combination of oestrogen, testosterone or progesterone) and synthetic hormones (zerinol, trenbolone and melengestrol) is implanted as a pellet in the ear of beef cattle in order to get the calves to grow and gain weight faster.”

What Can You Do?

It’s better to be safe than sorry. We know little about how the human body copes with the chemicals that have become ubiquitous in our daily life. Until we understand the impacts of this chemical cocktail more clearly, you can prevent exposures by taking these simple steps:

Eat healthy.

Diet is a major exposure route for EDCs. Phthalates are often found in fatty foods such as milk, butter, and meats – so reduce your consumption of these foods or opt for low-fat options. Fats are important for child development, though, so look for plant-based options like avocados, flax seed, walnuts, and almonds. Bisphenol-A is used in the lining of canned foods so opt for fresh or frozen. Choose USDA certified organic beef instead of conventionally-raised to avoid exposure to growth hormones. Moderate soya consumption. (Consult with your pediatrician about significant dietary changes.)

Use fewer and safer personal care products.

Phthalates and parabens are commonly found in personal care products. Download our Safer Care Products shopping guides and use the Cosmetics Safety Database http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to find the safest options. Be cautious with products containing lavender or tea-tree oil – some boys appear to be sensitive to their estrogenic qualities.

Learn more:

• Avoid the Sneakiest Sources of BPA
• The ABCs of EDCs: Could They Explain Our Most Pervasive Medical Mysteries?
• Hormonal Milk and Meat: A Dangerous Public Health Risk

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