BEIJING,
March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- U.S. scientists found that rising rates of childhood
obesity could be behind a troubling new phenomenon -- a girl will reach puberty
by Grade 4, media reported on Tuesday.
They who followed 354 girls from age three to 12
found that those who were fatter at age three and who gained weight during
the next three years reached puberty, as defined by breast development, by age
nine.
The scientists said that 168 of the girls were classified
as being "in puberty" by the age of nine and nearly two dozen reported having
their first menstrual period by two years later.
The study from the University of Michigan's Mott
Children's Hospital is published in the journal Pediatrics.
"Our finding that increased body fatness is
associated with the earlier onset of puberty provides additional evidence that
growing rates of obesity among children in this country may be contributing to
the trend of early maturation in girls," said Dr. Joyce Lee, the lead author.
"Previous studies had found that girls who have
earlier puberty tend to have higher body mass index, but it was unclear whether
puberty led to the weight gain or weight gain led to the earlier onset of
puberty," she added.
"Our study offers evidence that it is the latter,"
Lee said.
Early puberty in girls carries a higher risk of a
wide variety of health and social problems. Other studies have shown they have
higher rates of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as
behaviour problems such as bullying and truancy.
They're more likely to start drinking alcohol and
have sex at an earlier age, and run an increased risk of teenaged pregnancy.
They also have higher rates of obesity and breast cancer as adults.
Obesity rates in children have doubled over the last
two decades in the west.
(Agencies)
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