Obesity Early Puberty

Children and teens are more obese than they were forty years ago. Obesity is continuing to become an increasing problem in adolescence, as well as adults. The health of children is significant to me because as a child I was never able to eat unhealthy foods. Since my immune system was low, and my family has a history of heart problems, I grew up eating very healthy food. At first, I was upset that I was limited by the amount of junk food I could eat as a child, but now that I am older, I am glad my mother regulated my intake of sugar because it has benefitted me. Also, my sister had a very unhealthy lifestyle. She lost a lot of weight, so she started eating more sugar to gain weight, but nothing changed physically. On the outside she was very …show more content…
In the article, “Obesity, Early Puberty and Why We Should Be Concerned,” Laurence Steinburg emphasizes the effects that puberty has on a child. Throughout the article, it is explained that puberty at an early age has a bad effect on a child, not only physically, but also mentally. According to Steinburg’s research, “Children who mature early are at significantly greater risk for all sorts of behavioral and psychological problems, including substances use and abuse, precocious sex, and delinquency. In addition, girls who mature early are relatively more likely to develop depression, anxiety, panic attack and eating disorders” (Steinburg). Steinburg elaborates on the effects puberty at an early age has on a child, which includes early stimulation of sexual thoughts in boys, as well as girls having a higher chance of depression (Steinburg). Even though it seems like obesity would only be physically unhealthy, it is stated throughout the article that obesity can hurt a person mentally because of the puberty coming earlier than normal. When children are exposed to puberty early, they are more likely to be exposed to certain stimuli their brains cannot fully comprehend, which is why Steinburg emphasizes why developing puberty early is a huge deal. If children are developing unhealthy side effects from being obese, they may continue to advance into more negative