foodconsumer.org: Dietary Protein Affects Timing of Puberty

Dietary Protein Affects Timing of Puberty
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admin on 02/06/2010 14:07:00
 
More and more boys and girls are becoming women and men earlier than expected;
many parents are confused by this.
A new study in the Dec 30, 2009 issue of the Journal Nutrition suggests that a
high intake of animal protein may be at least one cause for early puberty.
This study is an important one; early onset of puberty has been associated with
hormone-related cancers, but it has not previously been apparent how diet in
childhood can affect the timing of puberty in preteens.
Gunther A. L. and colleagues from Fulda University of Applied Science in Germany
examined data on anthropometric measurements and 3-day-estimated intake of
protein from 112 girls and boys at 12 months, 18 to 24 months, 3 to 4 years and
5 to 6 years to see if there was any association between dietary intake of
protein and the timing of the pubertal growth spurt, peak height velocity, and
menarche.
Those who consumed high levels of animal protein (and total protein, in general)
at the age of 5 or 6 years experienced an early pubertal growth spurt and those
who had the highest tertile of animal protein intake at these ages experienced
pubertal growth spurt 0.6 years earlier than those who had the lowest tertile.
Similar associations were found for the timing of menarche in girls and voice
break in boys.
In contrast, higher intake of vegetable protein intake at 3 to 4 and 5 to 6
years was associated with menarche in girls and voice break in boys,
respectively.  High vegetable protein intake was also linked to later pubertal
growth spurt and peak height velocity.
Another study published in the April 2006 issue of The British journal of
nutrition supported the findings.
For that particular study of 422 boys and 365 girls ages 9 to 12 years, Li S. J.
and colleagues from Seoul National university in Seoul Korea compared four diets
commonly used by girls and boys, including rice and Kimchi, shellfish and
processed meat, pizza and drinks and milk and cereal to see if these diets
affect the genital development in boys and breast development in girls.
Twenty six percent of boys had genital development and 79 percent of girls had
breast development.
"Shellfish and processed meat" diet was associated with both genital development
in boys and breast development in girls, the researchers found.
Photo from AICR.org
David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton