Born Smart

Up until now we lacked concrete evidence on exactly how environmental toxins can influence an organism’s development, but we are seeing progress.

Studying the tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, due to its simplicity and 4 larval stage transitions to adulthood, researchers found hormones coordinate developmental stage transitions. The hormones do this by activating micro RNA’s that alter genetic switches to enable the organism to progress to the next developmental phase.

Dr Adam Antebi associate professor in the Huffington Center on Aging at BCM, found hormones coordinate stage transitions in C. elegans and this may be true to more advanced organisms as well he said.

Interestingly Dr. Antebi also established a link to cancer, he found that when cells in C elegans failed their transition from stage 2 to 3, cells continued to grow uncontrollably, the same way they do in hormone dependent cancers such as breast or prostate cancer.

Many pesticides, products in our homes, cosmetics even food can contain hormone disrupters. If you are pregnant or thinking of falling pregnant you want to avoid these contaminants at all cost.

In December 2008, Bruce McEwen from Rockefeller University and his colleagues identified receptors for hormones like estrogen and others in the brain. We must now ask, due to the probable role of hormones in coordinating developmental stage transitions, whether developmental disorders like mental retardation, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder, are linked to hormone disrupters in our environment, homes, cosmetics and food?

Also see Estrogen, Testosterone and your baby’s brain

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145010.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145010.php