About a quarter to a third of childhood has been lost as the average age at onset of puberty has declined over the past 100 years. What has changed?
We are eating much more fat and protein and growth hormones than we did 100 years ago. Eating more in general, and eating more of these three things in particular, tends to increase growth rates.
Maybe we should be making the change in the other direction. Or maybe we should step back a bit, moderate our intake of these growth-promoting substances, and talk about whether we want to change the timing of the onset of puberty. Do we want childhood to end sooner, or later? Or does it matter one way or the other?
Yes, eating meats laden with hormones, steroids, et al is making our daughters reach puberty earlier.
BUT, our daughters are also getting better nutrition, better health care, and better exercise than our mothers, grandmothers, etc, and that, too, is contributing to earlier onset of puberty.
Hmmm…The meat sold in Europe must be free of growth hormones and steroïds, and they can’t be used in cattle breeding. So, if these products were to “blame” for early puberty, then the average age of puberty should be significantly different in the US and in the EU. Is it the case? I strongly doubt it (but could be wrong, of course).
Are you suggesting that we purposefully try to make sure that our children are malnourished during their formative years so that they can enjoy childhood longer and not have to deal with all of that pubic hair until later? I bet they would only grow to be 5 feet tall just like those old Italian men I see walking around the North End of Boston. That would be adorable! :rolleyes: