Do Hormones in Milk, Meat and Eggs Cause Early Puberty?

Early onset of puberty in today’s youth is a very touchy subject for many parents across the United States. This is one of the myths circling the online web.  It is considered a risk factor for many different diseases in adulthood including cancers related to hormones, shorter life or different diseases related to the cardiovascular system.

 Early puberty is being blamed on drinking milk, eating eggs and also eating beef. The phenomenon is called precocious puberty. According to Dr. Etherton on the Best Food Facts website he states “There are zillions of proteins hormones in both plant and animal foods. They are digested in the stomach, which kills their ability to have any biological activity. There is just no way to come to a science-based conclusion that hormones in food or dairy products cause early puberty.” 

It's debatable if this has always been an issue or if it a new issue on the rise.  Here is a statement from a professional reporting on livesceince.com “Doctors think that this is happening with greater frequency since the 1990’s especially among girls. Doctors say the likely cause, if any, is childhood obesity: That is, it's not what's in the food but food itself, and lots of it, in all it's fatty-sugary glory, coupled with inactivity.” Girls who are overweight are more likely to enter puberty early than thinner girls, and the ties between obesity and puberty start at a very young age.

This topic has parents worried about the “new normal” of early puberty. Some parents are still convinced it is because of beef and other foods their children are eating. A few steps parents are taking to avoid early puberty are eliminating breads, pasta and potatoes from the diet, cutting out soda and juice, and limiting the amount of tv watched. 

Sources: 

http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/food-for-thought/hormones-milkmeat-earlypuberty

http://www.livescience.com/1824-truth-early-puberty.html