Girls are entering puberty at younger ages now than a couple decades ago, a new study suggests.

The study researchers aren’t sure what’s causing the early puberty, but they suggest multiple factors, including genetics, environmental chemicals and an increase in body fat and obesity.

While breast tissue growth and other physical signs of puberty are not in themselves red flags, they could be linked with health risks, including breast cancer, said study researcher Dr. Frank Biro of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.

“I think it pretty much confirms what people have been saying for quite a while,” said Dr. Paul Kaplowitz, chief of endocrinology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the current study. [Read more...]