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People are very upset about this, and with good reason. Female infants in China who have been fed formula have been growing breasts.
According to the official Chinese Daily newspaper, medical tests performed on the babies found levels of estrogens circulating in their bloodstreams that are as high as those found in most adult women. These babies are between four and 15 months old. And the evidence is overwhelming that the milk formula they have been fed is responsible.
Synutra, the company that makes the baby formula consumed by these babies, says it’s not their fault. They insist that “no man-made hormones or any illegal substances were added during the production of the milk powder.”[/quote]
Little known urban joke for this–we call young girls like this “Similac babies”. When I was teaching in the Chicago Public Schools in 2001/2002 I often saw girls in the 1st and 2nd grade almost fully developed. By the time they hit 14, they were really were developed.
Parents on the board, are you concerned about this and what are you doing?
Soy contains phytoestrogens and many plastics contain pseudoestrogens, so if you are feeding your child formula in a plastic bottle you should consider.
I want my kid to have time to be a kid. I don’t want men scoping her out when she is in 6th grade. I don’t want people treating her as older than she is because she is physically mature. You don’t want your kid going from toddler to adult.
Basically once she gets older and we get settled, family meals at night, less milk, more greens, and enough parental attention. There are certain things that help a kid out and increase their chances for smarts and success when they get older. These are the things my wife and I focus on as much as possible. I think it will be more difficult with my son when he is born.
Try to avoid plastic products with infants (especially when they get heated up they can cause troubles).
That said, only use glass bottles for milk, teach your kids not to bite into their toys.
Don’t use old plastic containers (they are likely to be scratched and thus loose particles).
The problem is Bisphenol A. One US Gov. brochure about it here: mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/en … ochure.pdf
It also considers pregnant women, that should consider:
• eating fresh or frozen fruits & vegetables instead of canned products
• not heating food or drinks in polycarbonate plastic containers.
• replacing any aged, scratched, or clouded polycarbonate plasticcontainers, including water bottles
Nobody knows what the Chinese case caused the breast growing but its surely about hormones.
I wonder if in the end Bisphenol A will be found as cause with this children (or other synthetic estrogen).
Onset of Puberty earlier is a huge problem. Food does play a major role, especially these hormone thingies, but Exercise is a way of keeping puberty at bay. Lifestyle choices, the more kids become couch potatoes, and gain weight, puberty will come on earlier. One of the most imp. things for children is to play. They can play basketball, or softball or whatever, but even just playing, running around skipping, keeps the child playful, healthy and is a major contributor to avoiding early puberty. Especially for girls.