By Free Republic | Created at 2024-10-18 04:38:54 | Updated at 2024-10-18 08:32:43
4 hours ago
Study finds widespread exposure to hormone-disrupting chemical during pregnancy
Medical Xpress / Rutgers University / Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology ^ | Oct. 16, 2024 | Andrew Smith / Carolyn W. Kinkade et al
Posted on 10/17/2024 9:12:49 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A study has found that nearly all pregnant women ingest the fungal toxin zearalenone (ZEN), which mimics estrogen in the body and hinders reproduction in some animals.
Researchers detected ZEN or its metabolites in 97% of urine samples from pregnant women and 84% of placentas.
ZEN is a type of mycoestrogen, an estrogen-like compound produced by certain molds that contaminate grains, meats and processed foods worldwide. It's most common in crops such as corn, wheat and barley.
ZEN is so structurally like the hormone 17β-estradiol that it binds with estrogen receptors. Large doses reduce the number and size of offspring in cattle, pigs, mice and rats. Paradoxically, these compounds also promote growth in livestock after birth, so much so that American farmers routinely dose cattle with a synthetic version of ZEN.
To study exposure levels during pregnancy, the researchers collected urine samples from 317 women in Rochester, N.Y. They also gathered 271 placenta samples and asked study participants about lifestyle choices.
Women with higher body mass indexes and those who had previously given birth tended to have higher ZEN levels in their urine.
Diet also affected exposure. Women with healthier diets, particularly those eating more protein and vegetables, had lower exposure levels. Diets higher in ultra-processed foods were associated with increased ZEN concentrations.
The study appears amid increasing concerns about endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment. Unlike many of those other chemicals, ZEN has long been found in our food, but exposure may be increasing because of modern food production and climate change.
Some cell studies suggest ZEN may be more potent than other known endocrine disruptors such as BPA or phthalates.
"People who want to reduce their exposure can do so by reducing their consumption of ultra-processed foods overall," Kinkade said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: estrogen; pregnant; women
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“Women with healthier diets, particularly those eating more protein and vegetables, had lower exposure levels. Diets higher in ultra-processed foods were associated with increased ZEN concentrations.”
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2 posted on 10/17/2024 9:13:22 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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