Is meat causing early puberty in girls?

An increased amount of meat in our diet may be part of the reason girls reach puberty at a younger age today compared to 100 years ago. A University of Brighton in UK research involving 3,000 girls found out that those who ate more than 12 portions of meat a week at age seven, 49 per cent started their periods by 12 and half years old; compared to only 35 per cent of those who ate less than four portions of meat a week. Researchers say there is evidence that girls who start their periods earlier are more at risk of a number of diseases, including breast cancer. So parents be warned. Feeding your children with too much meat may have negative health effects.

Published on February 2013