Childhood obesity could be causing earlier puberty in girls, warns study

CHILDHOOD obesity in the United States appears to be causing girls to reach puberty at an earlier age, for reasons that are not clear, a study has found.

The report from the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital said a multiyear study following a group of 354 girls found that those who were fatter at age three and who gained weight during the next three years reached puberty, as defined by breast development, by the age of nine.

Studies suggest girls who reach puberty earlier than the “normal” age of 10 and above also start drinking alcohol and begin having sexual intercourse sooner.