Breastfeeding Bad For The Testicles?
Posted by JeanneSager at 11:30 AM on September 24, 2009
Remember the little study that explored a possible link between breastfeeding and autism? Scientists are adding to the list: they say pesticides showing up in mum’s milk may be causing testicular trouble down the line.
Katie Drummond of True/Slant broke down the study, published in the Journal of Andrology, explaining the scientists were attempting to get to the root of increasing testicular cancer in westernised countries.
The Danish researchers opted to compare the breastmilk in women in Denmark, where the rates of testicular cancer are high, with that of mums in Finland, where the testicular cancer rates are significantly lower.
So what did they find? Significantly higher levels of pesticides and PCBs in the milk of Danish mums—- which they’re finding could have a devastating affect especially because of the period of development when a baby is ingesting the toxins. Not just testicular cancer, they say, but low sperm counts.
Interesting to note — a study done in Japan on the mothers of men who developed testicular cancer looked at duration of breastfeeding and found no link. But scientists did note an anecdotal link between a mother’s social class and the probability that her son would develop cancer of his testes. The sons of women of a “higher social class,” posed a higher risk. And how does this link back to breastfeeding? The greater percentage of women breastfeeding in Japan are those who fall into that “higher social class,” women who have childcare leave, support from the spouse, etc.
So what does all this mean for American mums? Not much — the risks may be real, but the scientists say the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh them.
So carry on mum. Just go easy on him when he can’t give you grandbabies.
Image: EcoStreet
The effects of pesticides in your breastmilk affecting our infants is a very real concern. As is the pesticides and toxins stored in a mother’s body and passed on to her fetus. My guess would be that the alternative to breastfeeding, dairy or soy formula, would also be chock-full of pesticides. Soy is one of the most highly pesticided food crops, not to mention that the processing of soy into formula often leaves excessively high levels of manganese. The grains fed to cows (which will necessitate antibiotics) are also going to contain pesticides. I’ll just stick with breastfeeding, thank you, and continue to eat as much pesticide-free food as possible.