Regular
dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables treated with pesticides is linked
to lower probability of live births and success rates of ARTs according to a
study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published October 30, 2017
in JAMA.
Animal
exposure to pesticides at environmentally relevant concentrations is known to
decrease the number of live births. Whether this holds good for humans is topic
for research in recent years, the effects of high dose exposure causing
reproductive injuries is already known.
More than
600 different pesticides chemicals, resulting into 1000s of combinations are available
in US market with more than 450 kg applied every year.
Occupational
exposure to high dose of some older pesticides are known to cause reproductive
injury in exposed males causing infertility and azoospermia.
This
prospective epidemiological study uses sophisticated biological markers to
identify the effects of subclinical everyday exposure pesticide residues in
fruits and vegetables on female fertility.
The study
recruited 325 women undergoing infertility treatment as part of the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) study. The women filled out study questionnaire
about the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. Women’s exposure to
pesticides was calculated based on US government database of average pesticide
residues on fresh fruits and vegetables.
The study
found that women who ate more than two servings (2.3) of high-pesticide fruits
or vegetables each day, compared with women who ate an average of one each day,
were 18% less likely to become pregnant and 26% less likely to have a live
birth than women with the lowest exposure.
If you can
exchange one high-pesticide fruit or vegetable a day for a low-pesticide one, your
odds of pregnancy are increased by 79% and live birth by 88% say the
researchers.
Strawberries,
spinach and peppers, tend to consistently make into the list of ‘dirty dozen’,
a list of 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, while others, like peas
and avocados, rank lower.
Jorge Chavarro,
associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard Chan School and
senior author of the study, said that women trying to conceive may want to
limit their intake of high-pesticide fruits and vegetables or eat organic
versions, or choose low-pesticide produce such as avocados, onions, or oranges.
“I am now more willing to buy organic apples than I was a few months ago,” he
told TIME.
When the
researchers modeled the effect of swapping one high-pesticide fruit or
vegetable a day for a low-pesticide one, they found 79% higher odds of
pregnancy and 88% higher odds of a live birth.
The
researchers agree that the study just show an ‘association’ and more work is
needed before a direct ‘causation’ can be established. Also, the results
pertain to certain subset of women who already had reproductive issues and were
seeking fertility treatment.
The study is
accompanied by a commentary by Philip J. Landrigan titled
Pesticides and Human
Reproduction
Which fruits
you should buy organic
It's not
always possible or affordable to buy completely organic produce. Nutritionist
Lisa Drayer shows us which fruits to look for in the organic section.
Source: CNN
