Evolution, development and timing of puberty
Evolution, development and timing of puberty
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
female, child, childhood, animals, review, puberty, human, physiology, genetics, time, menarche, development, adolescent, health, evolution, research, child development, humans, nutrition, growth
7-12
Gluckman, Peter D.
ef2e8b92-0b76-4a12-bd7c-01b0674f94d3
Hanson, Mark A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f
January 2006
Gluckman, Peter D.
ef2e8b92-0b76-4a12-bd7c-01b0674f94d3
Hanson, Mark A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f
Gluckman, Peter D. and Hanson, Mark A.
(2006)
Evolution, development and timing of puberty.
Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 17 (1), .
(doi:10.1016/j.tem.2005.11.006).
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
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Published date: January 2006
Keywords:
female, child, childhood, animals, review, puberty, human, physiology, genetics, time, menarche, development, adolescent, health, evolution, research, child development, humans, nutrition, growth
Organisations:
Cancer Sciences, Dev Origins of Health & Disease
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Local EPrints ID: 44184
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/44184
ISSN: 1043-2760
PURE UUID: a2c9f9ff-a236-47f3-ad9c-48ba28ac8cfb
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Date deposited: 19 Feb 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:17
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Author:
Peter D. Gluckman
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