Primal Health Databank: Study
| Entry No: | 0129 |
| Title: | Neurological conditions in 18 month old children perinatally exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins |
| Author(s): | Huisman M, Koopman-Esseboom C, et al. |
| Reference: | Early Human Development 1995; 43: 165-176 |
| Place of Study: | Netherlands |
| Abstract: | 418 Dutch children were assessed neurologically at the age of 18 months in order to determine whether their neurological development was affected by exposure in utero and exposure via human milk. Half the infants were breastfed. The other half were formula fed. PCBs concentrations in cord and maternal plasma were measured. PCBs and dioxins were measured in human milk and in formula, (in formula milk it was below detection limits). After taking into account many associated factors, it appeared that exposure to PCBs during fetal life had a negative influence on the neurological condition at 18 months. No negative effects of exposure to PCBs and dioxins through breast milk could be detected. On the contrary, breast milk had a significant positive effect on the fluency of movement (the fluency of movement is an indication of the quality of the brain function rather than of the level of development). It is worth noticing that the first born children had higher scores than the others, although the milk of a mother of a first baby is more polluted than the milk of a mother who has previously breasfed other babies. |
| Keyword(s): | breastfeeding, dioxins, milk pollution, PCBs |
| Discussion: | This study offers an answer to an important question: do the well known benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the theoretical risks of exposure to PCBs and dioxins?. Such contaminants are lipophilic and present in human milk. On the other hand in formula milk lipids are replaced by lipids of vegetable origin with a negligible content of PCBs and dioxins. See entry 0128 and 0130. |
| See Also: | 0128, 0130 |
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