Dr. David Brownstein, M.D
Dr. David Brownstein,  editor of Dr. David Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health newsletter, is a board-certified family physician and one of the nation’s foremost practitioners of holistic medicine. Dr. Brownstein has lectured internationally to physicians and others about his success with natural hormones and nutritional therapies in his practice. His books include Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do!; Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It; Salt Your Way To Health; The Miracle of Natural Hormones; Overcoming Arthritis, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders; The Guide to a Gluten-Free Diet; and The Guide to Healthy Eating. He is the medical director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, Mich., where he lives with his wife, Allison, and their teenage daughters, Hailey and Jessica.

Tags: PCBs | pregnancy | thyroid | iodine
OPINION

Thyroid and Organic Pollutants

David Brownstein, M.D. By Monday, 08 January 2018 02:51 PM EST Current | Bio | Archive

Researchers studied the association between thyroid dysfunction in newborn babies and their exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in a PLOS One study.

Blood umbilical cord and maternal blood levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were compared with thyroid hormone in the umbilical cord blood and a blood sample collected two days after birth.

POPs from in-utero exposure were found to disrupt thyroid function in newborns. The POPs were found to be at levels which generally occur in the population.

Adequate thyroid hormone level in-utero is crucial for normal neurological development.

Inadequate thyroid during pregnancy can result in problems such as lower IQ, heart problems, and short stature.

All of these POPs are more toxic when iodine is deficient. Unfortunately, iodine deficiency is occurring in the vast majority of Americans.

One way to diminish the toxicity of POPs and other endocrine disrupting chemicals is to ensure adequate iodine intake.

© 2025 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.


Dr-Brownstein
Inadequate thyroid during pregnancy can result in problems such as lower IQ, heart problems, and short stature.
PCBs, pregnancy, thyroid, iodine
156
2018-51-08
Monday, 08 January 2018 02:51 PM
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