Environmental Factors and Puberty Onset: An Update

Abstract

Puberty is a process that results from a coordinated series of complex neuroendocrine changes which eventually leads to external and internal physical changes. These changes include attainment of primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Puberty as a temporal process is subdivided into different stages. These pubertal stages occur in a sequential manner but significant variations have been seen among different individuals in the timings of pubertal onset as well as a certain degree of gender difference is also present where puberty is occurring earlier in girls than boys. Among many aetiologies which have been hypothesized to be involved, environmental cues are the most ones. This review article describes the recent findings of the influences of the key environmental clues on pubertal timings, emphasizing on the aspects for which the most scientific evidences exist.