Scientists say watching TV hastens puberty

[CShine]

Does watching television bring on early puberty? Many parents would not doubt that repeated exposure to Sex and the City or the kind of sensual variety shows common on Italian TV could as easily turn their daughters into Lolitas as stir up the latent testosterone in their sons. But researchers from Florence University have come up with an alternative explanation: watching screens, regardless of the subject matter, helps to advance adolescence. A study carried out last month in the Tuscan town of Cavriglia detected a huge increase in production of the hormone melatonin in children deprived of TV, computers and video. Among the functions ascribed to melatonin is that of slowing down the progress of children to sexual maturity.

Roberto Salti said: "We may thus be able to explain a phenomenon of recent years, which is the bringing forward of puberty in young children."

Vast amounts of research have been conducted to the effect of television on children. But most has focused on the psychological, rather than physiological, effects.

"In our study television does not feature, as it does in other scientific studies, as a source of strong emotions, capable of unleashing emotive reactions that contribute to development," said Roberto Tarquini, another member of the team. "For us, it is just a source of light and radiation."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1248692,00.html

[mainer]

1. It's the fact they're staying up later, exposed to light...

I read a study showing that whenever electricity was introduced to villages in India, it caused an earlier age of menarche in young girls. The mechanism may indeed have something to do with light exposure. We humans were meant to have dark nights, and when you bring electricity into the picture, and thus more exposure to light, it changes melatonin production.

[Wright Patman]

2. I take melatonin

every evening before I turn in. It really helps one to sleep soundly.

I also don't watch TV at all, except for a few games during football season, but this would not have been true in my youth. I watched as much as anyone and it seemed to me the shows were more worth watching back then (mid-60s to late-70s).

[Eurobabe]

3. The Italian universities have done some

pretty interesting studies on thyroid problems lately too, they seem to have a good grip on endocrine issues. More! more!

[donsu]

4. harmones in meat are bringing on early puberty

and it is giving men breasts. no joke. look around you. men didn't use to have breasts, just nipples. even overweight men didn't get breasts, just a beefer chest. not any more.

in the past girls did not start bleeding at age 9 and 10 like nowadays.

I'm old, in my mother's day 15 and 16 yrs. old to start bleeding was not unusual.

when I was a girl, the ages were around 12 or 13 to start bleeding.

[cprise]

5. Oh boy

"The experiment ended on May 16 with a midnight ceremony in which the mayor symbolically smashed a television set in the town square."


Fed up with the Berlusconi empire, are we? ;)

[SoCalDem]

6. Duh!!!

Haven't we all read articles about how animals in zoos who refused to breed, were "convinced" after being shown videos??

Hormones can be triggered by many things.. Any girl who has lived with other girls in a dorm, can attest to the fact that after a very short time, all the "cycles" have coordinated themselves..

Nature has planted little computers inside our braiins, and we do not fully understand them..

Adulterated foods and higher body fat ratios figure into this too:(

[bemildred]

7. News is just way funnier than anything you could think up by yourself.nt