Archive for the 'Healthy Eating' Category

Girls Entering Puberty Earlier?

Published on August 11, 2010 in Healthy Eating and Prevention. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

It has been in the news recently that girls are now reaching puberty earlier than compared with studies done long ago. Typically, the first signs of puberty are breast bud development. A new study that was recently published showed that more girls are entering puberty at age 7 and 8 than previously. Caucasian girls showed the largest increase but in total numbers, more Hispanic and African American girls start puberty earlier. The study is done by Dr. Frank Biro at the University of Cincinnati. For the study, Biro and colleagues examined data on 1,239 girls between the ages of 6 and 8 from East Harlem in New York; the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area; and the San Francisco Bay area in California.

The results also showed that:

  • 10.4% of white, 23.4% of black non-Hispanic, and 14.9% of Hispanic girls had reached breast stage 2 or higher at age 7.
  • At age 8, these figures were: 18.3%, 42.9%, and 30.9%, respectively.
  • The proportion of girls who had reached breast stage 2 also varied by site and BMI (body mass index), with more obese girls reaching puberty earlier.

Biro and colleagues warned that their study was not representative of all girls in the US, and they will continue to follow this population to see what happens with the girls and what other factors might affect their development.

The first question that most parents are going to have is what is going on and the next being what can we do about this? The short answer is that nobody knows for sure. The theories range from genetics and obesity to environmental triggers. It would be very easy to jump to conclusions and blame hormones in milk or food but we really just do not know. We certainly can say that as a society our children are getting more and more overweight.

The problem with entering puberty earlier is that it puts that child at a higher risk for breast cancer later in life and they are more likely to engage in risky behavior.

Eating Healthy is a Family Thing

Published on July 22, 2010 in Healthy Eating. 0 Comments Tags: .

I have always thought of our household as one that tries to eat healthy. Being the primary chef of the household, I do most of the shopping and tend to spend most of my time grocery shopping in the produce and meat department. Typically, my children are with me at the grocery store. A few months ago I randomly starting picking up vegetables at the store and asked my daughter what each one was. I was happy that she got them all right, except cauliflower. I asked a preteen patient in clinic a few months ago where French fries came from and was not overly shocked to learn that he did not know. Sad, but true.

We recently joined a local, organic farmer’s cooperative and get a produce shipment every other week. I never would have thought my children would get so excited to go pick up our box and see what things are inside. It has made them more willing to try things and expanded the repertoire of menu items we now all eat at home as sometimes the box contains something Continue reading ‘Eating Healthy is a Family Thing’