New York Times ran two recent articles on precocious puberty (one,two). It seems that American children are showing signs of puberty earlier than previous generations and this has raised concerns for many.
What's to blame? It may be a combination of factors: widespread exposure to hormones in meats and milk; hormone-mimicking molecules found in plastics (such as phthalates), household and personal cleaning products and PVC; and childhood obesity as fat cells secrete estrogen. Some say it's because children are healthier these days. One article narrates how a child got exposed to testosterone through a testosterone cream his father used by skin-to-skin contact.
We do not know how these products affect children in the long run and into adulthood. Precocious puberty may only be the tip of the iceberg, considering that hormones act on almost all cells in the body.
What can we do? One big step is to avoid exposure--eat more organic meats and milk, use "green" household products, use glass instead of plastic containers to store food. Cook in stainless steel pans instead of teflon.
No comments:
Post a Comment