Study between High Pesticide Exposure and Pregnancy Outcomes
We've recently been looking at how pesticide exposure in fruits and veggies affect our health. This week, we're looking at a study of over 300 women who underwent infertility treatments and tracked their diets. The study found that diets high in pesticide exposure from fruits and vegetables were linked to less favorable birth outcomes.
The Study
The 325 women in the study were members of the Environmental and Reproductive Health (EARTH) study out of Boston, MA. The study began in 2006 following couples to identify determinants of fertility. In 2007, the researchers began tracking diets through self-assessments, asking how often participants had consumed organic fruits and vegetables in the last three months. Outcomes were assessed following infertility treatment cycles.
The Findings
Of the 325 women who were followed, 42% had live births. In the three months, women had a mean average of intake of 1.7 servings of high-pesticide residue fruits and vegetables per day and 2.9 servings of low-pesticide residue fruits and vegetables per day.
Greater intake of high-pesticide residue fruits and vegetables were associated with lower probability of clinical pregnancy and live birth. Particularly, women with the highest amount of high-pesticide residue fruit and vegetable had 18% lower probability of clinical pregnancy and 26% lower probability of live birth than women with lower amount of high-pesticide fruit and vegetable intake.
The Implications
The study shows that diets with high exposure to pesticides from fruits and vegetables are linked to lower probabilities of pregnancy and live birth following infertility treatment. On a larger scale, diets with high pesticide exposure may be associated with more adverse reproductive health outcomes.
How can you reduce your exposure to pesticides?
If you're interested in reducing your exposure to pesticides in fruits and vegetables after learning more about the health impacts of pesticides, why not go organic? A great place to start is with the "Dirty Dozen," the fruits and vegetables found to have the highest amounts of pesticides in the U.S..
An even easier place to start? Living Juices! Living Juice's cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices are all organic! You never have to worry about pesticides getting into our juices. Our juices are ALL organic - with nothing added - no water, no sugar, no sweeteners, no pesticides! When you drink a cold-pressed Living Juice, you're getting all organic fruits and vegetables. You can order Living Juices on our website here and on Amazon here!