The daughters of women who eat fish laced with the toxic remnants of DDT are at greater risk of becoming obese, according to a new study.
Researchers have discovered that prenatal exposure to a derivative of DDT (an insecticide banned in the 1970’s) may play a role in the obesity epidemic. Scientists studied the adult daughters of 250 West Michigan mothers who ate Lake Michigan fish.
The study found that women with intermediate levels of DDE, a breakdown product of DDT, gained an average of 13 pounds of excess weight. Women with higher levels of DDE gained more than 20 pounds of excess weight.