Pesticides May Cause Heightened Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Inflammation

Pesticide exposure may actually contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammation in premenopausal women. A new study shows that pesticides may be more dangerous than thought.

In this latest study, the researchers examined the effects of exposure to polychlorinated pesticides such as DDT. Although DDT was banned in many countries in the 1970s, it still persists in the environment and food supply.

DDT was one of the first recognized endocrine-disrupting chemicals. This means that it can mimic and interfere with the function of the hormone estrogen. Previous research has found that DDT exposure is linked to birth defects, reduced fertilized and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

"After the body breaks down DDT along with similar pesticides, chemical remnants called metabolites accumulate in women's fat tissue," said Diana Teixeira, one of the researchers, in a news release. "When higher amounts of these environmental estrogens collect in the fat tissue, it can compromise the protective effect the body's natural estrogen has on a premenopausal woman's hear health. This leaves women at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and inflammation."

The scientists analyzed the amount of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in fat tissue and blood samples from 121 obese women who had bariatric surgery. In the end, the scientists found that among premenopausal women in the study, women with higher concentrations of environmental estrogens in their visceral fat tissue from the belly were more likely to have higher average blood sugar levels. In addition, among premenopausal women, those with higher levels of environmental estrogens in their blood tended to have more inflammation and faced a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

"Our findings show that endocrine-disrupting chemicals tend to aggravate complications of obesity, including inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk, in premenopausal women," said Teixeira. "Measuring environmental estrogen levels may help physicians identify women who are at risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disease so they can take preventative action."

The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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