Scientists Study the Relation Between Vitamin B-12 and DDT Exposure

A recent report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, studies whether B-vitamin sufficiency in pregnant women protects against adverse effects of exposure to insecticide DDT on clinical pregnancy (CP) and sub-clinical early pregnancy loss (EPL). The study was conducted by a group of researchers from the American society for nutrition. The researchers measured preconception concentrations of plasma B vitamins and serum total DDT in 291 women from Anhui, China, who were studied in 1996–1998. The women were followed prospectively from the time they stopped contraception until 2 months after CP (gestational age ≥42 d).

According to the scientists, the EPL was identified by using daily urinary human chorionic gonadotropin. The women were categorized according to B-vitamin status (deficiency compared with sufficiency) and DDT concentration (high compared with low).

The results recorded by the researchers shows that of the 291 study women, a total of 385 conceptions (31% of which ended in EPL) and 265 gestations occurred. Finally the scientists concluded that the results provide suggestive evidence that vitamin B-12 and folate sufficiency may help protect against adverse reproductive effects of DDT exposure. However, additional studies are needed to confirm our findings.



Source-Medindia