NEW YORK, Feb 03 (Reuters Health) -- Mothers who ate a vegetarian diet
during pregnancy had a five-time greater risk of delivering a boy with
hypospadias, a birth defect of the penis, according to a report from British
researchers.
The team suggests that phytoestrogens, hormone-like compounds found in
soy, may be responsible for the link.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that mothers who took iron
supplements and those who had influenza in the first 3 months of pregnancy also
had a higher risk of having a baby boy with hypospadias.
The authors suggest that more research is needed to see if any of the
associations found in the study actually cause the birth defect. "Nevertheless,
it is important to note that there is biological evidence that vegetarians have
a greater exposure to phytoestrogens and thus a causal link is biologically
feasible," they write.
Hypospadias is a birth defect where the opening of the penis is found on
the underside of the penis rather than at the tip. It is a common congenital
defect, affecting about 1 in 300 newborn males. The condition requires surgery
to correct it, where the foreskin is used to repair the problem. Untreated, it
can interfere with urination and sexual function.
Drs. K. North and J. Golding, of the University of Bristol in the UK,
describe the study in the January issue of BJU International. The investigators
asked mothers to fill out questionnaires during pregnancy regarding obstetric
history, lifestyle, and dietary practices. Of 7,928 boys born to mothers
participating in the study, 51 cases of hypospadias were identified.
Mothers with a vegetarian diet in the first half of pregnancy had a 4.99
times greater risk of having a boy with hypospadias compared with mothers who
included meat in their diets, the researchers report.
In addition, mothers who took iron supplements had double the normal risk
of having a boy with hypospadias, and influenza during the first 3 months of
pregnancy increased the risk of by just over three times.
North and Golding found no evidence to suggest that mothers who smoked or
drank alcohol had a higher risk of having a child with hypospadias.
