More Children Experience Premature Puberty
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
More girls are experiencing menstruation at an earlier age, while boys are developing pubic hair sooner, according to medical experts, leading to symptoms that result in premature aging and the onset of adult diseases at younger ages.
According to Rep. Son Sook-mee of the Grand National Party, the number of children suffering from premature puberty has risen five-fold in the past five years due to an unhealthy diet and "environmental factors."
The number of children treated for precocious puberty was recorded at 14,751 in 2008, up 500 percent from 2,795 in 2004. About 92 percent were female according to doctors, but males had more serious symptoms such as hormonal malfunction and tumors in their sexual organs.
Dr. Koh Si-whan, director of Ko Siwhan Clinic, said diets focused on white sugar, rice and flour are the main causes.
He pointed out that in the past overweight children were diagnosed with the disorder, but nowadays even the skinniest girls suffer.
"All eat white rice, flour and sugar, which lack vitamin B and other essential minerals. I blame the flour, especially. It causes the skinny-fat syndrome, when someone is thin and looks great in clothes but his or her overall health is not good."
He also said the chemicals affecting hormones detected in plastic goods and other products can lead to premature adulthood. "We are surrounded by a polluted environment and use so many plastic or other processed products. They mess up the hormonal balance in the body," he said.
Son said the actual number of people suffering from the symptoms could be much higher since only 10 percent of those diagnosed get professional treatment. He asked for the government to pay extra attention to the problem.
Doctors consider those who show these symptoms before eight years old as sufferers of th disorder.