There are no advantages of early puberty. Early puberty and first menstruation, late or no child birth and late menopause are considered the risk factors for breast cancer.

Are there any disadvantages of early puberty?

There is one very important disadvantage of early puberty. When a girl reaches puberty her breast cells undergo a rapid growth and development. It is the time when there are more undeveloped breast cells which are vulnerable to cancer-causing agents like chemicals, radiation, virus and estrogens. So when girls reach puberty earlier the risk for breast cancer also starts. To make it clear in the beginning of 20th century the first menstruation was between 16 to 18 years and now it is between 9 to 13 years.

How this risk for breast cancer could be avoided?

There are three possibilities to minimise this risk and they include:

• Avoiding early puberty
• Avoiding risks like environmental poisons, radiation, virus etc.
• Pregnancy

Avoiding early puberty: If a girl is physically very active with aerobic exercises, sports, swimming, walking, gym, bicycling, team sports like basket ball and volleyball her puberty starts later. Intake of too much of carbohydrates including rice, sweets, chips and chocolates consumption is also a main cause of early puberty. Late puberty and normal pregnancy between 20 to 25 years decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Avoiding risks like environmental poisons etc.: Pesticides and many chlorinated chemicals (xeno-estrogens) which are in our environment, food or water have low estrogenic activity which also favours early puberty. It is better to avoid these chemicals. For example, organic vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods are the best. If organic vegetables are not available, buy fresh vegetables and wash them well with enough water so that up to 30% of the pesticides residues could be removed.

Fast food, junk food and processed food must be avoided. Food containing hormones should be avoided.

An individual diet plan from an expert is important from the childhood because unfortunately many mothers know very little about the right selection of the foods. The ads in the media spoil them also.

(Read the author’s book “Food and our Health, Facts and Misconceptions” and “Environmental Poisons and Illness” from Aaron Verlag Publishers Private Ltd.)

Pregnancy: The hormones of pregnancy, particularly estriol and progesterone, make these undeveloped breast cells to mature to cell types which cannot be easily damaged and transformed into cancer cells. Late puberty and early pregnancy between 20 to 25 years can decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Phyto-estrogens (Plant-estrogens) are important to our health, the action mechanism is completely different and these are not stored in our body. But, xeno-estrogens are fat soluble and are stored in our body fat.

The rest hereditary risk is always there.