Did you ever think the source of your current medical problem could be the result of exposure to an environmental toxin… from a distant relative? A new study reveals you may be suffering from a health condition inherited, for example, from your great-grandmother’s exposure to DDT.
After exposing pregnant rats to a variety of environmental toxins, Washington State University researchers found these chemicals can change the way an animal’s genes operate over as much as four generations, suggesting toxins may play a much larger role in diseases that were first thought to have been caused only by genetic mutations.
Pregnant rats that were exposed to two synthetic chemicals (vinclozolin and methoxychlor) known as endocrine disruptors that interfere with the normal functioning of reproductive hormones produced males with low fertility rates and sperm counts. Not surprising, except when those males were mated with females that weren’t exposed to those chemicals, those same fertility problems occurred in their male offspring, an effect that persisted in more than 90 percent of the males in each generation studied.
All the more reason for you to make the switch to whole organic foods considering:
- More than 10,000 chemical solvents, emulsifiers and preservatives are used in food processing.
- Some 1,000 new chemicals are introduced each year.
If you want to learn more about the most common toxins, I urge you to read my recent piece about the “top 10” and how to avoid them. And, if you don’t believe you can afford more wholesome, natural foods on a tight budget, read how Colleen Huber’s family manages quite nicely.