Puberty News and Research

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Puberty is the maturation stage a person goes through when they develop secondary sexual characteristics. Usually, puberty occurs between the ages of 8 and 12 years in girls and between 9 and 14 years in boys.

High-fat diet during pregnancy makes new cells in fetal brain that cause early onset obesity

A study in rats shows that exposure to a high-fat diet during pregnancy produces permanent changes in the offspring's brain that lead to overeating and obesity early in life, according to new research by Rockefeller University scientists.

11 Nov 2008

Fatty diet during pregnancy produces new neurons in fetal brain

11 Nov 2008

New research on chronic corticosteroid use

An analysis of large population databases has recently yielded important findings about chronic corticosteroid use.

10 Nov 2008

Research points to new treatment options for infantile hemangioma

A team of researchers led by Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) Dean for Research Bjorn Olsen has discovered a mechanism for the rapid growth seen in infantile hemangioma, the most common childhood tumor.

31 Oct 2008

Discovery of new gene responsible for puberty disorders

A new gene responsible for some puberty disorders has been identified by Medical College of Georgia researchers.

27 Oct 2008

Why do women typically experience poorer dental health than men?

Reproduction pressures and rising fertility explain why women suffered a more rapid decline in dental health than did men as humans transitioned from hunter-and-gatherers to farmers and more sedentary pursuits, says a University of Oregon anthropologist.

14 Oct 2008

National Toxicology Program finalizes report on Bisphenol A

Current human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is of "some concern" for effects on development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to a final report released today by the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

3 Sep 2008

Oestrogen - a beneficial addition to treatment of schizophrenia in women

Australian scientists have found that women suffering from schizophrenia were less likely to suffer hallucinations or delusions, when the hormone oestrogen was added to their treatment.

4 Aug 2008

study shows compounds from soy affect brain and reproductive development

Two hormone-like compounds linked to the consumption of soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty and symptoms of advanced menopause in research animals, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University. The study is a breakthrough in determining how these compounds can cause reproductive health problems, as well as in providing a key building block for how to treat these problems.

31 Jul 2008

Lawmakers agree to ban use of phthalates in toys

Lawmakers charged with finalizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act agreed yesterday to include a provision that will ban phthalates from children's toys and childcare articles. The legislative action validates the concerns of scientists and parents who have been urging a ban, and will bring federal regulation in line with several states and leading retailers that have already taken action to remove phthalates from toys.

29 Jul 2008

Link between small birth size and changes to the CV system that predispose to disease in later life

Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls.

22 Jul 2008

Experts call for sex education for 4 year olds

Leading British charities are calling for sex education to be taught to children as young as four in an attempt to bring down the rising rates of abortion and sexually transmitted infections.

7 Jul 2008

Gene change sheds light on sex development disorder

One in 4,500 people suffer from a group of conditions known as sex development disorders (DSD) which occur when the sex chromosomes do not match the genitalia.

7 Jul 2008

Pregnant mums on a high fat diet put daughters at risk later in life

According to new research mothers who eat a high fat diet while pregnant increase their daughters risk of obesity and breast cancer.

17 Jun 2008

Prenatal nutrition and nutrition during childhood interact to alter puberty

A high-fat diet during pregnancy and nursing may lead to the child having an early onset of puberty and subsequent adulthood obesity, according to a new animal study. The results were presented Monday, June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

16 Jun 2008

Nutrition for the growing athlete: The good, the bad and the ugly

For millions of American children and teens playing sports, good nutrition is critical for maximum health, performance and normal growth.

8 May 2008

Chemical in plastic baby bottles worrying Brits

Concerns raised by scientists in the U.S. last month about Bisphenol A, a controversial chemical found in most plastic baby bottles has led to calls from groups in Britain for all baby bottles to be clearly labelled.

7 May 2008

Connecticut HIV/AIDS advocates, teenagers call for passage of bill that would provide grants for comprehensive sex education

HIV/AIDS advocates and teenagers from Healthy Teens Connecticut on Wednesday in Connecticut rallied at the state capitol and called on lawmakers to pass a bill that would provide $500,000 in state grants for comprehensive sex education, the Hartford Courant reports.

26 Apr 2008

Developmental changes during the teenage years raise men's heart disease risk

Normal developmental changes during the teenage years leave young adult men at higher risk of heart disease than their female counterparts, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

21 Apr 2008

Boys are twice as likely as girls in the U.S. and Asia to receive growth hormone

Boys are twice as likely as girls in the U.S. and Asia (mostly Japan) to receive recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for growth hormone deficiency, illnesses that affect height, and short stature of a non-medical nature.

17 Apr 2008