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Exposure to blue light can increase the risk of precocious puberty and even impair fertility.

Exposure to blue light from cell phones and tablets at a young age may increase a child’s risk of precocious puberty and even harm their fertility in the future, according to a new study.

A Turkish research team found that blue light increased reproductive hormone levels in rats that were regularly exposed, putting them through puberty first, and showing changes in the ovaries that could potentially harm future fertility.

The dangers of blue light to sleep have long been researched and reported, but experts fear that the widespread use of smartphones and tablets among teenagers may be more harmful than anyone can imagine.

It could also explain the jump to early adolescence experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic – when a child enters puberty long before their normal time, with millions of kids spending more hours on screens every day.

Early puberty has been associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety throughout life, and even breast and uterine cancer.

A study shows that exposure to blue light in early childhood may increase a child’s risk of entering precocious puberty, as well as cause long-term fertility problems. Early puberty is linked to an increased risk of mental health problems and even some cancers later in life (archive photo)

“We found that exposure to blue light, which is sufficient to alter melatonin levels, can alter reproductive hormone levels in our rat model, resulting in earlier onset of puberty. Also, the longer the exposure, the earlier it starts,” he said.

The researchers, who will present their findings Friday at the 60th annual meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, recruited 18 female rats for the study.

Girls hit puberty earlier than in the past, and experts say this could cause them lifelong problems

Girls in America are entering puberty at a younger age than they used to, and while the reasons are still open to debate, some experts fear it could have negative effects on young women’s health, both mentally and physically, later in life.

The median age of puberty in the United States has dropped from the biologically accepted typical 12-10 years for women. Black and Hispanic girls, in particular, hit puberty on average a year earlier.

Experts tell DailyMail.com that America’s growing obesity crisis may be causing it, blaming malnutrition for pushing up puberty. Others think it may be due to a violent childhood, and there is also the theory that it has to do with an imbalance of certain hormones.

There are also long-term negative disadvantages, such as the link between precocious puberty and the development of cancer (unexplained for now) and the traumatic experiences caused by a girl’s slightly rapid growth.

This phenomenon was first described by public health expert Dr. It was discovered by Marcia Herman-Giddens in the mid-1990s when she began collecting data on more than 17,000 girls.

He found that the average age of puberty dropped to 10, with some girls improving at age six. Their findings sparked further research on the subject, with experts in many fields investigating what caused this change and what the long-term effects might be.

When a child goes through this process very early, both the causes and consequences of precocious puberty are far-reaching and cannot be explained by a one-size-fits-all solution.

Conversely, continued puberty can be the result of several factors. And the consequences a girl can have in her life can be far-reaching.

Rodents were divided into three groups. One was subjected to a normal light cycle, while the other two were exposed to blue light for six or 12 hours each day.

Puberty occurred significantly earlier than expected in both blue light groups.

Rats in the 12-hour group also had puberty before the six-hour group, indicating an association between increased blue light exposure and puberty time.

Rats in the two blue light groups showed increased levels of estradiol and luteinizing reproductive hormones, consistent with precocious puberty.

The research team also recorded physical changes in the ovarian tissue of the mice.

The researchers aren’t sure how consistent these findings are with humans, but they nonetheless point to a potential risk posed by these ubiquitous devices.

“Since this is a study in mice, we cannot be sure that these results will be replicated in children, but these data suggest that exposure to blue light may be considered a risk factor for early onset of puberty,” said Uğurlu.

The rats in the study were found to have lower levels of melatonin than their peers, consistent with the damage blue light does to human sleep.

Researchers fear that a generation of young children who grow up in a world where devices consume almost everything, may experience a rapid rise in puberty with many negative side effects.

Precocious puberty, especially in girls, has been on the rise for decades.

The median age of puberty in the United States has dropped from the biologically accepted typical 12-10 years for women. Black and Hispanic girls, in particular, hit puberty on average a year earlier.

Experts told DailyMail.com in June that America’s growing obesity crisis could be causing it, blaming malnutrition for pushing up puberty.

Others think it may be due to a violent childhood, and there is also the theory that it has to do with an imbalance of certain hormones.

There are also long-term negative disadvantages, such as the link between precocious puberty and the development of cancer (unexplained for now) and the traumatic experiences caused by a girl’s slightly rapid growth.

The Turkish research team notes that the rate of precocious puberty is believed to have exploded in the past two years, and fears that increased screen time may have played a role for many children during the block.

Source: Daily Mail

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