Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger

Fertility, Longevity, and Precocious Puberty

6 snips
Jun 19, 2025
Discover how diet influences sexual maturity, revealing that puberty is starting earlier than ever. Explore the intriguing trade-off between fertility and longevity, with insights from both human and pet studies. Delve into the effects of animal proteins on puberty onset in girls, raising awareness about potential health risks. The discussion promotes plant-based diets to help manage hormonal development and improve reproductive health.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Earlier Sexual Maturity Trend

  • Sexual maturity now occurs much earlier than a century ago, when menstruation averaged nearly 17 years old.
  • Early puberty onset links to reproductive and health implications across populations.
INSIGHT

Fertility-Longevity Trade-Off

  • There may be an evolutionary trade-off between fertility and lifespan; reduced reproductive capacity can correlate with longer life.
  • Studies show spayed/neutered pets and castrated men live significantly longer than intact counterparts.
INSIGHT

Lifespan vs. Reproduction Balance

  • Lifespan extension often corresponds with reduced reproductive potential due to an antagonistic pleiotropy theory.
  • Calorie restriction exemplifies this: animals live longer but produce fewer offspring.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app