U.S. Boys Experiencing Early Onset of Puberty, University of North Carolina Study

American boys are entering puberty at a younger age now than they did several decades ago, new research reveals. Specifically, investigators discovered that males are showing the first signs of sexual maturity six months to two years earlier, with blacks having a significant head start relative to whites and Hispanics. The study does not pinpoint what exactly is driving the trend toward earlier puberty, nor does it identify an underlying mechanism that might explain any racial differences.