1 - Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
2 - CESAM, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
3 - Comprehensive Health Research Centre, NOVA Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Portugal
4 - Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal
- Toxins (Basel). 2022;14(3):189. doi: 10.3390/toxins14030189
The first 1000 days of life are very sensitive to any event that alters programming, and they represent a window for intervention to improve population health. Pregnant women, fetuses, and infants are particularly vulnerable to exposure to food contaminated with mycotoxins. This review aimed to gather data from the literature on the short- and long-term effects of mycotoxin exposure during intrauterine life and early childhood and its impact on the child’s health. Good evidence exists associating maternal dietary exposure to aflatoxins with fetal growth impairment and fumonisins with neural tube defects. Worldwide reports exist on mycotoxin contamination of breast milk, but data on adverse effects of the lactational transfer of mycotoxins on infant health are lacking. Hazardous mycotoxin exposure in infants can also occur when infants consume contaminated infant formulas and baby foods, particularly cereal-based baby foods. In tropical low-income countries, poor harvesting practices and improper storage of cereals for human consumption can lead to mycotoxin mold contamination. In these settings, mycotoxin exposure effects on growth should be interpreted with caution, since cofactors other than mycotoxin exposure can affect infant growth, including poor socioeconomic status, limited food assessment, and endemic infection. More research on this matter is needed to protect health in early life.
Palavras Chave: 1000 first days of life, Child health, Mycotoxin exposure