From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-566066-505414
MONTREAL (UPI) -- Canadian epidemiologists say they have linked lower
male newborn birth weights to an increased frequency of genital
malformations.
Lead researcher Dr. Guy Van Vliet of Sainte-Justine University
Hospital Research Center in Montreal suggest both decreased male birth
weight as well as decreased male fertility are linked to the increased
presence of environmental contaminants that may affect male hormone
action.
The researchers said the birth weight of males is higher than that of
females due to the effect of male hormones on the fetus. If the
exposure of pregnant women to environmental contaminants that diminish
the action of these male hormones has increased over the years, one
would expect to see a decrease in the sex difference in birth weight,
the researchers said.
That is exactly what the researchers found, Van Vliet said.
The researchers used the Public Health Agency of Canada's database on
the birth weights of more than 5 million children born in Canada from
1981-2003.
The study, published in the journal Epidemiology, found a sustained
decrease in birth weight between boys and girls.
"Our study underlines the importance of probing the impact of
environmental contaminants on the health of mothers and fetuses and on
the reproductive potential of future generations," Van Vliet said in a
statement.