Early puberty onset in US girls tied to obesity

USA Today (11/4, Healy, 5.82M) reports, “The age at which puberty starts in some girls has continued to drop,” according to a 1,239-patient study published online Nov. 4 in the journal Pediatrics that suggests that “obesity may be a key trigger.”

The Boston Globe (11/4, Salahi, 1.75M) reports that previous studies have indicated that “girls are experiencing puberty much earlier than previous generations.” This study focused in particular on breast development in girls who were ages six to eight at study start in 2004 and who were followed since.

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