document: Toxins in baby food might affect hormones : study NEW YORK - Infant formula and solid baby food frequently contain fungus-derived hormones that have been shown to cause infertility in mammals , Italian researchers report . Scientists at the University of Pisa report that as many as 28 % of samples of milk-based baby formulas they tested were contaminated with the fungal hormones , known as mycoestrogens . They tested 185 formula samples and 44 samples of meat-based baby food from a total of 21 brands commonly sold in Italy . The substances detected in the baby products included zearalenone and its derivatives , which comes from Fusarium , a large family of fungi common in farm settings . Although zearalenone and related chemicals that resemble the hormone estrogen have been linked to infertility in mammals , especially pigs , it 's not clear whether babies exposed to the compounds through food or formula would be at risk for any reproductive problems later in life . Previous research has shown that the body rapidly breaks down zearalenone into byproducts that pose no health threat . Still , the Italian researchers say their findings merit follow-up and ought to prompt closer scrutiny of baby formula and baby foods for the presence of these and other toxins . '' `` Our study shows the presence of mycoestrogens in infant food , '' '' Francesco Massart , who led the study , told Reuters Health . '' `` This is likely to have greater implications for infants and young children than for adults having a more varied diet . '' '' Mycoestrogens such as zearalenone are a fact of life for commercial agriculture . They are present in crops like corn , wheat and soy that are used for both human consumption and animal feed . Cattle yards in the United States regularly use one such substance , alpha-zeralanol , as a growth stimulant for the animals , although the European Union banned this practice in the mid-1980s . The Italian group sought to determine whether zearalenone and similar chemicals might be making their way into infant foods . The answer proved to be yes . Massart and his colleagues analyzed 185 samples from 14 brands of infant formula containing cow 's milk . They also tested 44 samples of baby foods , from seven brands , containing beef , chicken , turkey , calf , horse , rabbit , ham and lamb . Zearalenone appeared in 17 -LRB- 9 % -RRB- of the formula samples , and two derivatives of the molecule , alpha - and beta-zeralenol , were present in about a quarter of the samples . Among the meat-based baby foods , only the alpha - and beta-zeralenol derivatives were present in a less than a quarter of the samples . Concentrations of mycoestrogens varied widely but in general , the levels detected were well below the World Health Organization 's provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 0.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight . Average concentrations of beta-zeralenol in infant formula were four times the recommended maximum , however . Although Massart acknowledged that many questions remain about the possible link between mycoestrogens and harm to humans , he said the findings should give pause to parents who use baby formula . '' `` Children , and in particular preterm newborns , are potentially exposed to higher dose of mycotoxins during their early phases of life , but no one knows the long-term effects , '' '' he said . Animal research and the few available human studies suggest the early mycotoxin exposures may affect human health , Massart noted . '' `` Specific studies should be initiated that allow the establishment of safe levels of zearalenone metabolites in feed materials and compounded feeds , particularly for infants and children of different ages , as they are considered to be the most sensitive to environmental chemicals . '' '' Gilbert Ross , a physician and medical director of the American Council on Science and Health , a New York-based advocacy group , disagreed . '' `` Detecting something in food does not mean it 's harmful , '' '' Ross said . '' `` Further , the detection methods found -LRB- the contaminants -RRB- but at levels far too low to affect human health , including that of babies . As the authors themselves point out , the presence of these substances in food products are of '' `` little significance '' '' because the body rapidly breaks them down and excretes them , '' '' Ross said .
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