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# Age at puberty linked to testicular cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/age_at_puberty_linked_to_testicular_cancer_1021121002/
- Published: 2012-10-21T11:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:15.000Z
- Description: A meta-analysis of 12 studies, published in the International Journal of Andrology, found boys who reached puberty later were about 15% less likely to develop testicular cancer. Known risk factors explain under 10% of cases; the piece suggests less meat and dairy may delay puberty.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Lifestyle, Health News, #vivvo-import

By Jimmy Downs

Sunday Oct 21, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Reports are everywhere saying that U.S. boys enter puberty at younger ages than their fathers. So what is wrong with early puberty? Early puberty can not only cause some social issues, but also health problems.

A study published in Jun 19, 2012 issue of International Journal of Andrology suggests that later puberty can reduce risk of testicular cancer.

The study led by M. Maule at University of Turin in Turin, Italy and colleagues showed that boys who had later puberty were about 15 percent less likely to develop testicular cancer.

Testicular cancer is on the rise, and doctors do not know what causes the disease. Cryptorchidism, familial testicular cancer and currently established risk factors can only explain less than 10% of all cases, according to the authors. 

The current study is a meta-analysis of data from 12 studies published in PUBMED as of December 2011\. The study considered all markers of puberty onset including age at voice change, age at the start of shaving and reported age at onset.

Early puberty means high exposure to sex hormones, and this means that men with early puberty are more likely to develop hormone-related diseases such as prostate cancer.

So how to prevent early puberty? Obviously, early puberty has something to do with a person's diet. A study suggests that eating too much animal protein (or meat and dairy products) may promote early puberty. So reduced intake of meat and dairy products may help prevent early puberty.