New report
by the American Academy of Paediatrics shows that boys as young as nine are
showing signs of maturity
The Guardian, The
Observer, Paul Harris in New York, Saturday 20 October 2012
 |
| White American boys are hitting puberty at least a year earlier than previously thought. Photograph: Getty Images |
It is a
truism common to nearly all family gatherings that grandparents will frequently
remark on how fast their beloved grandchildren seem to be growing up these
days.
But now,
instead of provoking a bout of eye-rolling at such platitudes, a new report seems
to show the old folks were right: boys are indeed hitting puberty at an earlier
age than they used to.
A
comprehensive study by the American Academy of Pediatrics was published on
Saturday. Widely seen as the best measure of the onset of puberty in American
boys, it showed that they are showing signs of puberty six months to two years
earlier than previously assumed.
The
surprise finding builds on previous discoveries that appeared to show girls
have also been developing faster. A study in 2010, which was published in the
US Journal of Pediatrics, created headlines when it revealed girls were hitting
puberty earlier, with some developing breasts at seven. Nor was it just in the
US. Other studies have revealed the same trend in girls all over the world.
Now the AAP
study, officially unveiled at a national conference in the US, is showing the
same trends in boys. It primarily identified the signs of puberty as the growth
in size of testicles and largely shied away from speculating on what may be
causing the shift, though it did refer to changes in diet, the fact that modern
children are becoming less physically active and other environmental shifts.
All that
has led to speculation that weight gain might be a possible factor. It
certainly might explain the earlier development among girls, as body fat is
linked to production of the female hormone oestrogen. But the link might be
less clear with boys. Also, it is not certain if weight gain is a trigger for
puberty or simply a consequence of it.
The investigation
also showed that American boys are divided by race when it comes to puberty. It
found that, on average, black American boys started showing signs of puberty at
a little older than the age of nine, while their white and Hispanic
counterparts did likewise just after turning 10.
"It
could be biological, genetic or environmental. It could be something African
American kids are being exposed to that white kids aren't. We really don't
know," said Richard Wasserman, director of the AAP's Pediatric Research in
Office Settings network. "We have raised as many questions as we've
answered."
The study
covered a large sample. It looked at more than 4,000 boys in 41 US states aged
six to 16 years. Based on the so-called Tanner stages of development – a
technique doctors use to measure stages of puberty – genital changes in boys
started around the age of 9 or 10, and pubic hair appeared between age 10 and
11 and a half, on average.
Testicle
size hit a common measure for the start of puberty just before the age of 10
and full sexual maturity happened at 15 to 16. Prior to this study, 11 and a
half was generally seen as the age boys hit puberty.
The policy
implications of the shift could be helpful when it comes to dealing with boys
as they grow up, especially in school and within their own families.
Dr Frank
Biro, a puberty researcher at Cincinnati children's hospital, told the New York
Times: "If kids are looking older, it means that parents should be
monitoring them, because that superego doesn't kick in until late teens or
early 20s. The kids need a hand. Know what they're doing."
Regardless
of general trends, it is important for parents to pay attention to their own
child's development, researchers said, and to know when to start talking to
them about sexual activity.
Related Articles:
Onset of puberty in girls has fallen by five years since 1920
"Recalibration of Gaia"– Mar 18, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)
Onset of puberty in girls has fallen by five years since 1920
"Recalibration of Gaia"– Mar 18, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)
".. Right now, the energy on this planet is filled with millenniums of war, old energy fighting, machismo, and intolerance. This, then, is what the DNA adjusts to at your birth. Whereas you are designed for 100 percent DNA efficiency, right now it's at 30 percent. And that, dear one, is what is changing, for the DNA is now starting to operate at a higher efficiency because there's a consciousness shift going on. You're seeing it first, of course, with the ones who are currently being born. At their first breath, they're now at 35 percent, and this translates into a Human Being that is far more aware and more conceptual at a far earlier age. It's almost as though they have an instinctual awareness of overall Humanism, instead of having to learn it all over again, as you did.
We have told you about these new children, and that is why your children are so unusual and you know they are. Many in the audience who have grandchildren are really seeing it; the kids are different. So you might say, "Well it's too bad that we can't do that ourselves, raise our DNA efficiency." Well, you can! For the energy of the planet is alert and ready to send the signal to the old soul who starts to understand that they can change their own fields through the templates that float in them, through consciousness, pure intent, and through that which is compassion. You can change the quantum "print" of DNA with compassion! We have said that from the beginning, so let me summarize this in simple words that are not scientific. Go slow, my partner. Make this succinct. [Kryon talking to Lee] …”
“… New DNA Adjustment to New Gaia Energy
You're DNA adjusts itself for what has happened on the earth when you're born. It has created a reality for you that you call Human Nature. The earth changes, the Crystalline Grid is actually lifting the veil slightly, and your DNA is starting to respond. The first response will be seen within your children, and they are already coming in with a different conceptual Human attribute. They don't think in the same linear fashion you do. Have you noticed? …”
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