Do not give your child milk for fear of early puberty?

May 20, 2022 07:13 GMT+7

Food and Precocious Puberty

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hau – Head of the Department of Nutrition, Children’s Hospital 2, said that she herself came into contact with many parents who thought they would not give their children milk for fear of early puberty. In fact, puberty is getting earlier and earlier due to many factors, but so far it is still idiopathic precocious puberty.

In girls, 90% is idiopathic, in boys 90% is due to organic CNS damage or infection of the CNS or sex hormone exposure.

As for food, Dr. Hau said it does not directly cause early puberty, but it is the factors that affect early puberty. For example, foods that make your baby grow faster than normal, foods that make your baby obese, affect your baby’s endocrine system.

With obese children, Dr. Hau said that adipose tissue cells can also secrete hormones that cause early maturation of the body.

Food containing growth hormone itself also affects the process of puberty in children. Dr. Hau believes that too much industrial and ready-to-eat food makes children overweight, causing early puberty. Currently, milk is understood to contain growth hormone that causes early puberty in children. In fact, Dr. Hau thinks that this view is not true because growth hormone is not cheap for people to put in.

Illustrated photo.

The main reason is that children’s uncontrolled eating causes obesity. Many parents see that their children are too fat to cut milk and not give them to drink, which is wrong. Because according to Doctor Hau, you should choose the right milk, not cut it off completely. Any food must be clearly selected to suit, not completely cut will affect the child.

With obese children, Dr. Hau recommends that parents take their children to a doctor to determine if the child has signs of early puberty. Doctors can “dissuade” early puberty so that the child has the best chance of development.

The first warning signs of puberty

According to TS.BS Huynh Thi Vu Quynh, Head of the Department of Nephrology and Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital 2, currently, the situation of children with early puberty is increasing not only in Vietnam but also around the world. Puberty of children is decreasing day by day.

A century ago, the age of puberty for girls was 16-17 years old, now it is reduced to 12-13 years old, the rate of children with early puberty is also increasing.

At Children’s Hospital 2, the number of patients coming to the clinic for early puberty is increasing. Dr. Quynh said that in the coming time, during summer vacation, every day 20-30 children come to the clinic for early puberty, of which 5-6 children have to be hospitalized for early treatment.

Dr. Quynh received many girls 7, 8 years old who had armpit hair and big breasts, but their parents thought that they had to have a period to go through puberty. In fact, this is a manifestation of children who have had puberty, but to diagnose early or normal puberty, it is necessary to have an accurate examination.

Children with early puberty from the time they have breasts are counted as precocious puberty. From having breasts to menstruating takes about 2 years, and precocious puberty is from when girls develop breasts. Dr. Quynh recommends that parents should pay attention to their children’s breast development.

Puberty children will increase in height quickly, if children have developed breasts, they will have armpit hair, pubic hair … then they will have a period. When menstruating, the height of the child slows down slowly for a few more years, then the height of the child stops.

Consequences of children with precocious puberty according to the doctors of Children’s Hospital 2, with changes in the body of children with precocious puberty different from other children of the same age, giving birth to psychological problems that make children shy and easy to do. for children with low self-esteem and leave sequelae for children after adulthood.

Puberty is accompanied by changes in children’s psychology, behavior, and perception, usually children tend to want to explore and explore separate and sensitive issues, accompanied by uncertainties about their health. emotional, often irritable…

K.Chi