In recent years, the phenomenon of precocious puberty in children has garnered significant attention from all sectors of society. Most cases of precocious puberty are considered to be "precocious pseudopuberty," primarily caused by children盲目ly taking nutritional supplements, mistakenly ingesting contraceptives, or excessive intake of hormonal substances during their growth process. Precocious puberty harms the physical and mental health of children
Precocious puberty is a common endocrine disease in children, referring to the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics in girls before the age of 8 and in boys before the age of 9. For girls, the earliest signs are breast development or the onset of menarche, while for boys, it is testicular enlargement, voice changes, and the growth of facial hair. Precocious puberty is often classified into true and false precocious puberty. True precocious puberty:
It is caused by the premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The endocrine changes and the development of internal and external genitalia are similar to normal maturation, accompanied by accelerated growth in height and weight, premature closure of the epiphyseal plates, and premature cessation of growth, resulting in a shorter final adult height. False precocious puberty:
It is caused by excessive sex hormones in the body, often due to pathological factors in peripheral endocrine glands (gonads or adrenal cortex). External factors are mostly the misuse of drugs, foods, and nutritional supplements containing sex hormones, the use of cosmetics containing sex hormones, and the ingestion of gonadotropic drugs by the mother during pregnancy or lactation.
If a boy develops precocious puberty, it will lead to the early onset of secondary sexual characteristics and potentially affect future fertility. Since the psychological development of most children with precocious puberty is not synchronized with their physical development, they are easily subjected to teasing and suspicion by peers, leading to a sense of loneliness, increased psychological burden, and affecting their normal life and studies. Additionally, early development can increase the risk of children being lured and harmed by malicious individuals. Excessive intake of hormonal substances triggers precocious puberty
The causes of precocious puberty in children include: congenital brain development abnormalities, the abuse of health products, mistaken ingestion of contraceptives, and long-term consumption of hormone-containing foods. Among these, a significant proportion of cases are due to the long-term consumption of hormone-containing poultry products, freshwater fish and shrimp, vegetables, and fruits, which is related to the current preference of children for high-calorie, high-fat, and high-protein foods. Many parents are overly concerned with their children's nutrition and盲目ly supplement their diets, leading to excessive hormonal substances in many children's food, artificially causing premature development.
In addition, in the past two years, cases of precocious puberty in children caused by the use of adult cosmetics have emerged. Among children with precocious puberty, girls account for a larger proportion. Many high-end cosmetics contain estrogen, and mothers, unaware of this, let their children frequently use their own cosmetics, leading to the development of precocious puberty in the children. Children with precocious puberty are often overweight
According to experts, in the course of studying the onset of precocious puberty in children, they found that for the same child, obesity and precocious puberty often occur simultaneously. It is very common for obese children to develop precocious puberty, and a considerable proportion of children with precocious puberty are obese.
This is because some of the causes of precocious puberty and obesity are the same or similar, both resulting from excessive nutritional supplementation and surplus nutrients. On the other hand, in obese children, the fat content is correspondingly high. Fat cells contain an enzyme called aromatase, which can convert androgens into estrogens and cause disorders in gonadal development. Therefore, in daily life, we often find that some obese boys have delicate skin and breast development, which is because their androgens are to some extent converted into estrogens. Improve diet and focus on physical and mental development
To effectively prevent the occurrence of precocious puberty, it should start with improving the diet structure. Try to let children eat green foods free from hormone contamination. Attention should be paid to balanced nutrition, with more seafood, vegetables, and fruits, and appropriate consumption of coarse grains. Change the bad habit of being a picky eater and eat less fast food.
If abnormalities are found, take the child to the hospital for timely examination to identify the cause. If it is false precocious puberty, no special treatment is needed; just eliminate the source. If it is true precocious puberty, immediate treatment is necessary; otherwise, premature closure of the epiphyseal plates will affect the child's final adult height.
When a child shows early signs of precocious puberty, they should be taken to the hospital for examination and educated to inform their parents promptly about any physical changes. Appropriate psychological guidance should also be provided to help the child successfully overcome the various psychological pressures caused by precocious puberty.