Effects on Puberty of Nutrition-Mediated Endocrine Disruptors Employed in Agriculture.

Anastasia Konstantina Sakali,Ioannis G Fatouros,Athanasios Jamurtas,Djuro Macut,George Mastorakos,Maria Papagianni,Alexandra Bargiota

doi:10.3390/nu13114184

Abstract

Pesticide residues are largely found in daily consumed food because of their extensive use in farming and their long half-life, which prolongs their presence in the environment. Many of these pesticides act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals after pre- or postnatal exposure, significantly affecting, among other things, the time of puberty onset, progression, and completion. In humans, precocious or delayed puberty, and early or delayed sexual maturation, may entail several negative long-term health implications. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on the impact of endocrine-disrupting pesticides upon the timing of the landmarks of female and male puberty in both animals (vaginal opening, first estrus, and balanopreputial separation) and humans (thelarche, menarche, gonadarche). Moreover, we explore the possible mechanisms of action of the reviewed endocrine-disrupting pesticides on the human reproductive system. Access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food is fundamental for the maintenance of health and wellbeing. Eliminating the presence of hazardous chemicals in largely consumed food products may increase their nutritional value and be proven beneficial for overall health. Consequently, understanding the effects of human exposure to hazardous endocrine-disrupting pesticides, and legislating against their circulation, are of major importance for the protection of health in vulnerable populations, such as children and adolescents.

Highlights

Nutrition should promote human health and a sense of wellbeing and should combat the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic diseases without harming the world ecosystem
The release on the market, and the legal use, of a pesticide demands approval from an appointed authority, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US, or the European Commission assisted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Europe [4]
The EFSA proposes the maximum amount of pesticide residues that are permitted in food, called the maximum residue level (MRL)

Summary

Introduction

Nutrition should promote human health and a sense of wellbeing and should combat the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic diseases without harming the world ecosystem. The expected age of puberty onset in humans ranges from 8 to years and from 9 to years for girls and boys, respectively. Precocious puberty is related to a wide range of adverse outcomes, such as an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer in women, and for testicular and prostate cancer in men, as well as with decreased final height in both sexes It is associated positively with manifestations of psychological disorders, such as depression, as well as with the development of risk-taking behavior, such as alcohol abuse, smoking, drug use, and the early onset of sexual activity which, in turn, increases the risk for sexual abuse [12,13,14,15,16,17]. Delayed puberty in humans is associated with lower bone mineral density, increased bone fragility, and an increased incidence of psychological disorders, such as depression [15,21]

Physiology of Puberty

Materials and Methods

Animal Studies

Human Studies

Findings

Discussion