In recent years, the number of children with neutrophilic precocious puberty in outpatient clinics has increased, and parents often anxiously ask the reasons for their children's precocious puberty, and whether there are any ways to reduce the chance of precocious puberty in children? We're here to talk to mom and dad about precocious puberty and ways to prevent it!
What is precocious puberty?
Precocious puberty refers to the age at which secondary sexual characteristics are less than 8 years old for girls, less than 9 years for boys, or less than 10 years old for girls to have their first menstruation. When parents have doubts about the judgment of children's secondary sexual characteristics, it is recommended to consult the pediatric endocrinology department of Western medicine.
What are the possible causes of precocious puberty?
The causes of precocious puberty are complex, and the first step for clinicians is to exclude pathological factors through examination, because some diseases will manifest themselves in the form of precocious puberty, and if it is caused by the disease, the disease must be treated, and precocious puberty will be relieved.
Clinically, most precocious puberty is unexplained central precocious puberty, that is, there is no clear identifiable cause and is not caused by the disease, but the child's endocrine system has been activated, and puberty has indeed entered puberty and is older than normal.
In the case of unexplained central precocious puberty, clinicians are concerned about whether the child has associated risk factors:
1. Genetic factors (parents are also precocious puberty)
2. Birth status (low birth weight, premature birth, multiple births)
3. Overweight or obesity in early childhood
4. Dietary imbalance (craving specific foods and excessive): high-protein foods (dripping chicken essence, fish essence, clam essence), high-fat foods (such as chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cheese, chicken skin, fish skin, pig skin), large predatory fish, poultry and livestock offal, etc
5. Exposure to foreign estrogen (oral or topical drugs)
6. Contact with unknown drugs or health foods (such as royal jelly, placenta extract)
7. Exposure to environmental hormones (there are about 70 kinds of environmental hormones that have been confirmed, among which plasticizers, nonylphenols, bisphenol A, etc. have a great impact on the endocrine and reproductive systems)
Some of the above risk factors are irreversible, such as heredity and birth status; Some are reversible.
Next, I will talk to you about how to prevent precocious puberty in children from daily "food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and happiness".
Food | three more and one less (eat more food and eat less food, diversified and balanced diet, multi-brand alternating choice; Use less disposable tableware and plastic wrap)
Children need to eat every day, and if they eat something problematic every day, the cumulative impact over time is amazing! Therefore, the general principle of diet suggests: three more: eat more food and eat less food, diversified and balanced diet, and multi-brand alternating choices. This can not only balance the diet to avoid children's bias and picky eating, further causing anorexia or obesity, but also disperse the food safety risks of specific foods or brands.
In addition to eating something to pay attention to, the container containing the food should be more careful! The coronavirus pandemic has prompted people to choose takeaway, increasing the opportunity to use disinfectant and greatly increasing the risk of children being affected by plasticizers. Because no-wash tableware is often plastic products, such as plastic bento boxes, plastic cups, plastic spoons and straws, etc., and cartons, paper cups, paper bowls, paper bags will have a layer of plastic coating containing plasticizers, regardless of whether it is served in cold and hot food, there will be a risk of cumulative exposure, and many studies have confirmed the adverse effects of plasticizers on children's puberty.
Do you often help your children buy warm soy milk and egg cakes at breakfast shops, and use paper cups, cartons and straws; In the afternoon, buy a pork pie and black tea latte for your child as a snack, with paper bags, plastic cups and straws; For dinner, buy a rib bento and miso soup, and bring back cartons and paper bowls; Unfinished food is temporarily coated with plastic wrap and then microwaved reheat, such a common behavior is actually a lot of exposure to plasticizers at the end of the day. Although plasticizers are quickly excreted by human metabolism, but day after day contact, 1 month, 1 year later, the cumulative effect in the human body is actually considerable! Therefore, it is recommended that parents prepare simple stainless steel tableware containers and straws to reduce the chances of children using disposable tableware.
Clothes | avoid smelly things on your child, such as perfume, nail polish, essential oils (tea tree oil, lavender essential oil), skin care products, cosmetics, hair gel, deodorant, scented shampoo body soap, etc., these items will increase your child's exposure to plasticizers.
Avoid using household fragrances and floor mats | household, and regularly remove dust from your home. May reduce your child's exposure to plasticizers.
Walk| Walk more and exercise more to avoid your child being overweight or obese.
Parenting | provide children with correct dietary outlook and knowledge of environmental hormones, and develop a healthy and regular life routine together.
| reduce your child's exposure to plastic toys and wash their hands after contact.
The above points remind parents to pay more attention to start from daily life and let their children grow up healthily!