Eight-year-old girl enters puberty after mum feeds her oestrogen-heavy health supplement
The girl had her first period and began to develop about six months ago after she started to regularly consume propolis, which is made by bees.
An eight-year-old girl in southwestern China has entered puberty after consuming an excessive amount of propolis, a health supplement also known as bee glue and which contains high levels of oestrogen.
The girl had her first period and began to develop about six months ago, according to the Chongqing Daily News.
Her mother took her to Chongqing city's Southwest Hospital, where an examination found the early onset of puberty was caused by propolis.
Bees collect the resin from trees and flowers and use it to make honeycombs, but people have been using it for a variety of medicinal purposes since ancient Egyptian times.
The girl’s doctor said she was unlikely to get much taller than her current 142cm as girls generally only grow about 5cm after they enter puberty.
“Certain high-end products are not bad but should not be consumed by growing children,” Professor Ngai Ping was quoted as saying. “Products like bee glue have high oestrogen levels, causing premature growth, menstruation and accelerated closure between bones.”
Ngai said he has received at least 500 similar cases over the past two years, most of them caused by parents giving too many health supplements to their children.
