# Teenagers Physically Maturing Faster Now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435 "2003-11-04T22:44:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/1 "2003-11-04T22:44:08Z")
I know it is not my imagination. At schools I have taught in, and in cases of meeting kids from co-workers, I have noticed that the boys (15-17) are far taller than what I remember growing up with in school. Plus, when I went to high school there were probably only 2 guys who probably really needed to shave by the time they were seniors. It seems fairly common now to meet a 16 year old boy who is 6’2" or taller, and has a goatee! Also, girls (13-15) seem to be getting taller, and - um - maturing to levels I recall first seeing in later years in high school. At one school our director mistakenly thought a couple of new 14 year old girls were counselors or teachers at the school! Is it something in the water or are kids growing larger and maturing faster now? Seriously! ---
**Author:** ![Slugworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Slugworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slugworth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/2 "2003-11-04T23:43:51Z")
Hormones in beef is what I’ve always seen touted as the reason for the earlier maturation in kids nowadays. Whatever the cause, you’re definitely not just imagining it. ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/3 "2003-11-04T23:44:19Z")
Better nutrition, improved health care and quality of life all combine to cause some of the changes you are noticing. I had a university lecturer who was studying the heights of people in India and trying to correlate height with periods of famine/hardship. ---
**Author:** ![ABBAJen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@ABBAJen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ABBAJen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/4 "2003-11-04T23:44:45Z")
Well… one idea is the hormones they put in foods now. Supposedly, these hormones make children mature faster, esp the hormones in meat/dairy. ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/5 "2003-11-05T00:00:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Chronic malnutrition in earlier years is responsible for widespread stunting and adverse consequences at adolescence in many areas, but it is best prevented in childhood. Iron deficiency and anaemia are the main problem of adolescents world-wide; From [WHO website](http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/New_Publications/NUTRITION/Adolescent_nutrition_paper.pdf) (pdf file) So one could hypothesise that the opposite is happening in first world countries where increased access to foods such as iron rich meat products is causing the accelerated rate of development. ---
**Author:** ![InquisitiveIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@InquisitiveIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InquisitiveIdiot)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/6 "2003-11-05T00:11:10Z")
That might be a better explanation than “hormones” for non-cow eating veggie kids being runts. Cow. So meaty, so tasty, why would you not want to eat it? Damn, just writing this is making my mouth water. I’m gonna get me some cow right now! ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/7 "2003-11-05T00:16:43Z")
I have opened a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=221498) about first world countries retaining dominance due to better nutrition - inspired by some questions raised from researching for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/8 "2003-11-05T00:57:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by leechbabe \* > \*\*Better nutrition, improved health care and quality of life all combine to cause some of the changes you are noticing. > \*\* I don’t really buy this because I don’t think the amout of nutrition and health care has improved so drastically since the 1950’s, for example. That and the animal growth hormones are the most common reasons given, but it’s tough to find a cite for the latter that’s not unbiased. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/9 "2003-11-05T01:14:21Z")
I have heard that it is because the kids now are fat and lazy, they are eating way too much (food much more available, fast foods, kids are on their own for meals since both parents work, ect.) and their activity is non-existant as they have remote controls, get driven to school, have electric scotters, even get push around in strollers much more then in the past. The body has to do something w/ all that fuel. ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/10 "2003-11-05T01:15:02Z")
Cecil makes passing reference to the issue [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_034a.html): > [@](#): > > So far as can be determined, height didn’t start to increase significantly until well into the Industrial Revolution. The most dramatic increase has occurred within the last 50 years or so due to advances in nutrition. Keep eating those Wheaties. ---
**Author:** ![Headcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@Headcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headcoat)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/11 "2003-11-05T01:22:11Z")
Just how significant are the growth hormones in meat when eaten by humans? Does it really pass through cooked flesh effeciently enough to effect the eater? Don’t some people pay upwards of several thousand dollars a month for growth hormone treatment? Seems like a few steaks is a good deal, moneywise if thats the case. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/12 "2003-11-05T01:22:36Z")
[Average age at menarche in various cultures](http://www.mum.org/menarage.htm) ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/13 "2003-11-05T03:40:48Z")
I’d like to see even one credible reference that hormones in meat or milk may be responsible for earlier maturation. Oh, and anything referencing work done by Samuel Epstein is \*not \* credible. ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/14 "2003-11-05T03:55:20Z")
There are some interesting studies on the effects of materials which mimic hormones, resulting in earlier sexual maturation and decreased fertility. [http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v401/n6755/abs/401763a0\_fs.html](http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v401/n6755/abs/401763a0_fs.html) > [@](#): > > Plastics and pesticides are examples of products that contain oestrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EEDCs, which can interfere with mammalian development by mimicking the action of the sex hormone oestradiol. For instance, the exposure of developing rodents to high doses of EEDCs advances puberty and alters their reproductive function. Low environmental doses of EEDCs may also affect development in humans. Effects have become apparent in humans over the past half century that are consistent with those seen in animals after exposure to high doses of EEDCs, such as an increase in genital abnormality in boys and earlier sexual maturation in girls. [http://www.nature.com/nsu/030331/030331-2.html](http://www.nature.com/nsu/030331/030331-2.html) > [@](#): > > Earlier investigations hinted that exposing animals in the womb to levels of BPA similar to those found in the environment upsets their sperm count, prostate and testicular development. > > Hunt has gone a step further in showing that BPA might also harm an egg’s DNA; this damage might be inherited by offspring formed from those eggs. She finds that BPA stops chromosomes from dividing up equally before egg cells divide, possibly by interfering with oestrogen’s normal activity. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-physically-maturing-faster-now/211435/15 "2003-11-05T05:04:21Z")
I would wonder about boys. What do you consider onset? For instance my brother had a lengthy change of voice. Over two years. Between the 7th and 8th grade (the summer) my voice changed and I shot up to 6 feet. By the time I was 15 I was shaving once every other day. But that was it. I still need to shave only once every other day. So how do you determain it in boys.