Parents worry about a lot of things regarding their children. They worry their children will choke on foods, won’t have any friends and that the string in their sock is going to rip their tiny baby toe off . . . and the list goes on. None of these things are silly things to worry about, but the worrying adds up. Another thing some parents seem to worry about is that the hormones found in milk might cause their daughter to start puberty early. I may not be able to get you to stop worrying about the string in their sock, but I can shed some light on the early puberty and milk worry. Watch this video segment and learn from the dairy farmers, dairy experts and moms like me. Add the facts below to rest easy.
Early Puberty
“As a pediatrician, I have heard parents’ concerns over the past 10 years. And as a mother of three, I have experienced many myself.
“Parents are never ready for their daughters to cross over into puberty. That leads many parents to show concern, or downright fear, at the first sign of puberty; and then to look for a way out of this inevitable process. Most of the time, parents are concerned about the stage they consider “early puberty.” It is surprising to most parents to find out that the normal range for the onset of puberty is 8-13 years of age. So, a 10-year-old girl is not considered early, even though her parent might not be ready. “Early” puberty is actually defined as before the age of eight,” said Stephanie Grim, M.D., a pediatrician in Oklahoma City.
Hormones and Milk
Fear has reached our grocery store shelves. People are terrified of buying anything with hormones in it, not realizing that every living thing including foods has hormones.
Keep in mind that hormones are messengers. These proteins are made by one part of the body and travel to another part of our body to tell that part of the body what to do. Think about it without hormones, you wouldn’t eat, sleep or breathe. Neither would any other living organism including cows. You also digest the hormones you eat like you digest other proteins.
Real Culprit
So, if we can’t blame early puberty in girls on milk, what might be the issue? Grim highlights a study published in Pediatrics that found overweight and obesity during childhood was associated with earlier onset of puberty in girls. And, remember that age range above. If your daughter is in that range, then it isn’t early. Just hold on tight, find a group of mom friends to talk to, and hang on for the ride.
Milk is Milk
Don’t forget that milk is a wholesome, quality and nutrient-rich choice for families and kids. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we should work on getting three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt in our kids’ diets daily. And, don’t worry about hormones, or sock strings. You have plenty of other things on your plate. Explore more about hormones on the farm here.
