The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
The physiological effects of early childhood dance training are constantly being explored and adjusted. It was observed that children in training experience a higher than normal percentage of delayed maturation, both in puberty and bone development. It was suggested that the environmental conditions in which dancers practice, such as malnutrition and too much time spent indoors, as well as biological factors, contribute to the hormonal and cellular disruptions responsible for late development. Undernourishment, as is common in dancers, was found to have a direct correlation with reproductive hormone levels, including reduction in gonadotropin- releasing hormone secretion as well as lower Luteinizing hormone and Follicle-stimulating hormone levels. Low energy availability due to overexertion also plays a role in pubertal development. Furthermore, Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunlight seems to influence dancers’ bone health and development. This paper aims to present some abnormalities in dancers’ growth and development, as well as explore the physiological, hormonal, and metabolic reasoning behind such a phenomenon.
Recommended Citation
Heavenrich, S. (2021). Dance Training and Delayed Maturation. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 15(1), 24-28. Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/sjlcas/vol15/iss1/5
