• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Dioxin Stunts Breast Growth During Pregnancy, Study Finds

Dioxin exposure during pregnancy impairs the development of mammary glands during pregnancy and may cause women to not produce enough milk for their newborns, a new study finds.

Breast milk is an amazing food for babies, and breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child, including reducing the risk of heart attacks for mothers, reducing asthma risks for babies, and reducing anxiety in children. But up to 6 million women either can’t breastfeed, or don’t produce enough milk for their child, and dioxin in our food chain may be to blame.

The study, from the University of Rochester Medical Center, found that dioxin causes mammary cells to stop their cycle of proliferation as early as six days into pregnancy, and the effects of exposure can last through mid-pregnancy.

“We showed definitively that a known and abundant pollutant has an adverse effect on the way mammary glands develop during pregnancy.” – B. Paige Lawrence, Ph.D., associate professor of Environment Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at URMC

Human exposure to dioxins is usually through diet, as the chemical enters the food chain through emissions settling on farmland, and through livestock and fish. Though normal exposure is in typically low daily doses, the toxin settles in the fatty tissues and is slow to be eliminated.

Researchers found that in tissue samples from mice, a 50% decrease in new epithelial cells was seen after dioxin exposure, and because mammary gland cells have a high rate of growth during early to mid-pregnancy, this is an important finding. The team also reported that dioxin alters the induction of the milk-producing genes and reduced the number of lobules and ductal branches in mammary tissue.

“The best thing people who are concerned about this can do is think about what you eat and where your food comes from. We’re not suggesting that we all become vegans — but we hope this study raises awareness about how our food sources can increase the burden of pollutants in the body. Unfortunately, we have very little control over this, except perhaps through the legislative process.” – Lawrence

The report was published online in Toxicological Sciences. The group is also investigating a possible link between breast cancer and dioxin exposure.

Image: Daquella manera at Flickr under CC license

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Toxic Water Town
Homemade Organic Popsicles »

Comments

  1. Kirsten says

    June 11, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    Completely off topic, but that picture literally took me a minute to figure out if I was looking at a pregnant side shot or a breast until I realized it was both.

    Reply
  2. Chris Robinson says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    Dioxin is far more dangerous than this!
    As you will see if you visit our site, we are being killed by Dioxin, left over from bad agricultural use, buried residues get directly into your body. We have traced ours through the water supply, rainwater from our roof is collected in tanks with dioxin dust.
    It can be filtered out to a degree but the water still causes our symptoms.
    Thousands of people are ill around the World without realising what is effecting them.
    Dioxin KILLS you slowly!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

It’s Time to Quit Plastics and How to do It

Reduce Plastic Waste with re-brush Eco-Friendly Toothbrush

More from the archives!

Gifts of Breastfeeding: Humans Are Mammals

How long should childbirth labor last?

Social Media and Marketing Lesson for the makers of Motrin: Don’t Mess with Moms!

Riding a School Bus Harms Children's Brains

5 Eco-Friendly Products: Baby Undersocks, Kiss My Face, Weebeasts, Bio+Green Crystals, Innobaby

COVID Back to School: Helping children cope with uncertainty

covid19 pregnancy

Does the Coronavirus Attack the Placenta and cause 2nd Trimester Miscarriages?

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
logo
Food Advertising by

Green Family Values: Eco Gifts for a Green Father's Day Means Not Buying Anything!

FDA Agrees with Rep. Markey to Ban BPA in Infant Formula

Sippy Cups, Baby Bottles, and BPA

Natural Toddler Feeding Made Easy: Happy Family Gluten-Free Organic Superfoods

Touch DNA Effects

Human Touch Affects DNA: Hold Your Baby; Hug Your Teen

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Crafting with Organic Cotton Yarn

Hank D and the Bee: The Best One Question Personality Test Ever.

Autism and the new Celiac Disease Link

shoes track herbicides

Shoes Track Herbicides Where They Remain in Carpet for a Year

Honest Kids Deserve Honest Tea

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy