Difficult to live with for parents and their babies, premature birth poses a problem in terms of maternal and child health. This risk could however be partly resolved if pregnant women were less exposed to phthalates.
A link between prematurity and maternal exposure to phthalates.
Cosmetics, detergents, paints, food packaging, toys, vinyl floor coverings… Phthalates are present everywhere in our daily lives. However, these industrial chemicals are considered endocrine disruptors and classified, for the most part, as substances toxic to reproduction.
Their negative effects on health can be seen very early, From birth. Published in July 2022 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, a vast meta-analysis, bringing together sixteen studies carried out in the United States between 1983 and 2018 among six thousand pregnant women, warns of the link between prematurity and maternal exposure to phthalates.
The number of premature births in France is estimated at 60,000. Reduce the #prematurity of 7200 cases per year it is possible!😃Urgency to reduce contamination by #phthalatesthese everyday endocrine disruptors! #MISSIONFLASH⚡@SOSPrema https://t.co/BWqVzi6Wfj
— Health Environment Network (@RES_Env_Sante) November 3, 2022
Reduce the risk of prematurity by watching your diet
Of the pregnant women who participated in this study, 539 (9%) delivered premature babies. Furthermore, the researchers found that participants with higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to give birth prematurely, that is, three weeks or more before the scheduled date. More worryingly, scientists have detected phthalate metabolites in more than 96% of urine samples.
Read also – Phthalates: more behavioral problems in little boys
According to Emily Barrett, the study’s author, Premature birth is one of the most misunderstood and difficult to solve problems in maternal and child health “. ” This study provides compelling evidence that chemicals in our everyday environment are part of the problem “.
However, the scientist believes that reducing exposure to phthalates, through a diet based on fresh products and free of processed foods, would make “ considerable progress in the fight against prematurity. As a reminder, in France, a baby is born prematurely every eight minutes.
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