Hormonal foods –An extraordinary experiment on our children

If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of
all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so
indestructible that it would last throughout life.

Silent spring – Rachel Carson

M.J Mary a primary school teacher in Kerala India traumatized when her second standard
student menstruated inside the class room. She says “Can you imagine a small girl of 6
yrs handling such situations even elders find difficulty? I worked in many schools but
never seen any case like this. But we had two other cases like this in this school. All these
kids are coming from Paadi (tea plantations), where their parents are working, and my
strong belief is that the pesticides spraying in the plantation is the culprit. Many students
here suffer from various diseases, skin disease to cancer”.

This is not a single incident; in fact early puberty (menarchy) is a pattern emerging in
young girls around the glob. Presently, 1 girl out of 6 eight-year-olds in the USA,
Australia and Britain is racing into puberty. One generation ago it was one in 100. Early
puberty is happening in boys too and the ratio is 10:1.

No scientific papers say for certain why it is changing but most popular hypothesis is the
chemical compounds which are endocrine disruptors in the food. Which can imitates the
estrogenic (female sex hormone) activity, consequently triggering the onset of puberty.
John co-author of ‘Our Stolen Future’, confirms that contamination in the womb can
speed or retard sexual development. Obesity and hormonal food are compliment

In1973, thousands of Michigan residents ate food contaminated by a flame retardant,

which was later correlated with earlier menstruation in girls. In 1979, the medical journal
The Lancet described an outbreak of breast enlargement among hundreds of Italian
schoolchildren, probably caused by estrogen contamination of beef and poultry.

For the past two decades, there is an epidemic of premature puberty in very young girls
less than 4 years in Puerto Rico. Several reasons have been cited for this situation. First
of all, most of these children were fed soy infant formulas, which have plant-based
chemicals that mimic oestrogen. Another study traced to chicken carrying unusually high
residues of estrogenic hormones. In a significant study says that these children are inked
to phthalates, a ubiquitous chemical plasticizer.
.
Researchers in Belgium, found children emigrated (adopted or none adopted) from
countries such as India and Colombia were 80 times more likely to start early puberty.
The test result revealed that 21 out of 26 immigrant children with precocious puberty had
high levels of DDE in their blood. DDT- a pesticide banned under the Stockholm
Convention is still in use in developing countries with WHO’ recommendation.1. India is
one of the largest consumers of DDT in terms of daily intake.

Parental exposure to chemicals also plays a key role in on set of early puberty. A study by
Dr Walter Rogan- an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Heath
Sciences- reveals that boys exposed to DDE and girls exposed to PCBs through breast
milk were heavier than their unexposed peers were. The study also found that girls with
high prenatal PCB exposure tended to hit the first stages of puberty a bit earlier

Pesticides and herbicides are vital source of hormone disrupters. Commercial beef and
pasteurized dairy products consistently have the highest levels of persistent hormone
disruptors. Growth hormones can increase the profitability of the meat and dairy
industries with no waiting time. Same is the case of poultry industry. In 1986 a random
survey in Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma had found hormone pellets
illegally implanted in muscle tissue rather than under the ear. In 1990, the FDA ruled in
favor of doubling the dose of hormones allowed in cattle. Farmed salmon are raised on
various drugs, chemicals and hormones, and shellfish often concentrate cadmium-another
endocrine-disrupting heavy metal. Deep sea fish is comparatively safer. For children,
eating hormone-laced meat on a regular basis seriously increases their oestrogen
exposure.

Conventional medicine available for precocious puberty is only Lupron.This dangerous

drug has 256 possible risks and side effects including cancer, tremors, seizures and
memory loss. Holistic healing modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),
naturopathy, homoeopathy, chiropractic and other holistic medical approaches have been
able to help children get their hormonal health back on track.

There are many Health and Social complications related to early menarcy. The most
disturbing consequence of early puberty in females is the well-established risk for pre-
and post-menopausal breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer, polycystic ovarian
syndrome, menstrual irregularities, acne, excessive facial hair and infertility. Early
puberty in males can increase their incidence of testicular cancer, lower fertility and
impaired growth leading to shorter stature.

Children with early puberty experience more psychological stress, poor mental health,
more behavioral problems, and are more likely to drink, smoke, have a lower IQ and
commit suicide Studies have found that girls who reach puberty earlier tend to have sex
earlier, have an increased risk of unwanted pregnancy .Most of the cases end up in
abortion. Young people who drop out of school to raise their children are destined for a
lifetime of poverty. For boys, it can mean more aggressive, violent behavior, learning
disabilities and more drug and alcohol abuse.

1
http://www.vaccines.plus.com/DDT-in-India.html
Vegetarian children reach puberty between the ages of 15 and 19, averaging about age 17.
So minimize the amount of animal food fed to children, or use only organically produced
meat, poultry, or dairy products certified to be free of hormones, exercise to reduce
obesity. Major concern should be from parents’ side when the kid shows secondary
sexual characteristics (development of breasts/hair) .To explains her about the changes
happening and what she should expect, will avoid the panic when they menstruate. No
one really knows the long-term consequences of early sexual development. All possible
precautions must be taken to safeguard children from unnecessary exposure.

Nikhila M Vijay
Member of ‘KABANI- the other direction’
Kerala,India

Sunikhi@gmail.com