Higher glyphosate levels in pregnant women are associated with lower birth weight of babies

Higher glyphosate levels in pregnant women are associated with lower birth weight of babies

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are learning more about the effects of herbicide exposure during pregnancy and found glyphosate in 99 percent of the pregnant women they observed in the Midwest. In the study recently published in Environmental Health, higher levels of glyphosate were linked to lower birth weight and could also lead to a higher risk of newborns being admitted to the intensive care unit.

This is the second small-scale study the researchers have conducted with significant results. The team's previous study, published in 2018, was the first study to confirm glyphosate in 93 percent of pregnancies and found a link to shortened pregnancies. Other recent studies have also confirmed their results.

Exposure to pesticides during pregnancy, especially early in pregnancy, can shape DNA and alter gene expression. However, little is known about how these chemicals may affect fetal development in humans.

Paul Winchester, MD, Professor für klinische Pädiatrie und Hauptautor der Studie

Glyphosate is a chemical commonly found in Roundup and is used to kill weeds. It is used for corn and soybeans by farmers and homeowners throughout the United States, but particularly in the Midwest. Previous studies have shown that people can be exposed to glyphosate in all the foods they eat, including packaged or organic foods.

Over several years, researchers followed a cohort of 187 pregnant women in Indiana who collected urine samples during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Glyphosate was detected in the urine of all but one of the women.

Winchester said previous studies have shown a variety of negative effects of pesticide exposure in animal models, but not much is known about the effects on fetal development in humans.

“As a neonatologist, I am seeing more and more infants with problems such as low birth weight, as well as mothers with problems such as obesity or gestational diabetes,” Winchester said. “We need to continue studying these herbicides over the long term to find out how they might be causing these problems and what we can do to prevent them.”

Researchers hope to study glyphosate exposure in a larger group of pregnant women over time.

This study was a collaborative effort with Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, the University of California San Francisco, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and King's College London School of Medicine.

Source:

Indiana University School of Medicine

Reference:

Gerona, RR, et al. (2022) Glyphosate exposure in early pregnancy and reduced fetal growth: a prospective observational study of high-risk pregnancies. Environmental health. doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00906-3.

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