title: Urinary mycoestrogens, body size and breast development in New Jersey girls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite extensive research and interest in endocrine disruptors, there are essentially no epidemiologic studies of estrogenic mycotoxins, such as zeranol and zearalenone (ZEA). ZEA mycoestrogens are present in grains and other plant foods through fungal contamination, and in animal products (e.g., meat, eggs, dairy products) through deliberate introduction of zeranol into livestock to enhance meat production, or by indirect contamination of animals through consumption of contaminated feedstuff. Zeranol is banned for use in animal husbandry in the European Union and other countries, but is still widely used in the US. Surprisingly, little is known about the health effects of these mycoestrogens, including their impact on puberty in girls, a period highly sensitive to estrogenic stimulation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 163 girls, aged 9 and 10 years, participating in the Jersey Girl Study to measure urinary mycoestrogens and their possible relationship to body size and development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that mycoestrogens were detectable in urine in 78.5% of the girls, and that urinary levels were predominantly associated with beef and popcorn intake. Furthermore, girls with detectable urinary ZEA mycoestrogen levels tended to be shorter and less likely to have reached the onset of breast development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that ZEA mycoestrogens may exert anti-estrogenic effects similar to those reported for isoflavones. To our knowledge, this was the first evaluation of urinary mycoestrogens and their potential health effects in healthy girls. However, our findings need replication in larger studies with more heterogeneous populations, using a longitudinal approach.
authors.affiliation: The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States. elisa.bandera@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Elisa V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Bandera
authors.forename: Urmila
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sastry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Isukapalli
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Melony
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zarbl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001940:Breast / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000032:analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009515:New Jersey; D011627:Puberty; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry; D015025:Zearalenone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D015029:Zeranol / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D007529:Isoflavones; C029659:zearalenol; D015025:Zearalenone; D015029:Zeranol