Evolution, development and timing of puberty
Gluckman, Peter D. and Hanson, Mark A. (2006) Evolution, development and timing of puberty. Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 17, (1), 7-12. (doi:10.1016/j.tem.2005.11.006).
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Description/Abstract
The age of menarche has fallen as child health has improved. Although there is ample evidence of delayed puberty being associated with poorer childhood nutrition, menarche is also influenced by prenatal factors. In particular, early onset of puberty is reported in children who have migrated from developing to developed countries. Evolutionary perspectives suggest that these effects can be explained by adaptive mechanisms. They also provide an explanation for the human pubertal growth spurt. In the past few decades, as puberty has advanced, biological maturation has come to precede psychosocial maturation significantly for the first time in our evolutionary history Although this developmental mismatch has considerable societal implications, care has to be taken not to medicalize contemporary early puberty inappropriately.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| ISSNs: | 1043-2760 (print) |
| Related URLs: | |
| Keywords: | female, child, childhood, animals, review, puberty, human, physiology, genetics, time, menarche, development, adolescent, health, evolution, research, child development, humans, nutrition, growth |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services |
| Divisions: | University Structure - Pre August 2011 > School of Medicine |
| Item ID: | 61146 |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Oct 2008 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2011 09:39 |
| Contributors: | Gluckman, Peter D. (Author) Hanson, Mark A. (Author) |
| Date: | January 2006 |
| Status: | Published |
| URI: | http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61146 |
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