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Abstract: Background: Despite extensive research and interest in endocrine disruptors, there are essentially no epidemiologic studies of estrogenic mycotoxins, such as zeranol and zearalenone (ZEA). ZEA mycoestrogens are present in grains and other plant foods through fungal contamination, and in animal products (e.g., meat, eggs, dairy products) through deliberate introduction of zeranol into livestock to enhance meat production, or by indirect contamination of animals through consumption of contaminated feedstuff. Zeranol is banned for use in animal husbandry in the European Union and other countries, but is still widely used in the US. Surprisingly, little is known about the health effects of these mycoestrogens, including their impact on puberty in girls, a period highly sensitive to estrogenic stimulation. Objectives and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 163 girls, aged 9 and 10years, participating in the Jersey Girl Study to measure urinary mycoestrogens and their possible relationship to body size and development. Results: We found that mycoestrogens were detectable in urine in 78.5% of the girls, and that urinary levels were predominantly associated with beef and popcorn intake. Furthermore, girls with detectable urinary ZEA mycoestrogen levels tended to be shorter and less likely to have reached the onset of breast development. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ZEA mycoestrogens may exert anti-estrogenic effects similar to those reported for isoflavones. To our knowledge, this was the first evaluation of urinary mycoestrogens and their potential health effects in healthy girls. However, our findings need replication in larger studies with more heterogeneous populations, using a longitudinal approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Despite evidence of the endocrine disrupting properties of zearalenone (ZEN) and alpha-zearalanol (zeranol, α-ZAL), they have been minimally studied in human populations. In previous cross-sectional analyses, we demonstrated that 9-10 years old girls with detectable urinary ZEN were of shorter stature and less likely to have reached the onset of breast development than girls with undetectable urinary ZEN. The aim of this study was to examine baseline concentrations of ZEN, (α-ZAL), and their phase-1 metabolites in relation to subsequent growth and timing of menarche using 10 years of longitudinal data., Methods: Urine samples were collected from participants in the Jersey Girl Study at age 9-10 (n = 163). Unconjugated ZEN, (α-ZAL), and their metabolites were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Information on height, weight, and pubertal development was collected at a baseline visit with annual follow-up by mail thereafter. Cox regression was used to evaluate time to menarche in relation to baseline ZEN, (α-ZAL), and total mycoestrogen exposure. Z-scores for height and weight were used in mixed models to assess growth., Results: Mycoestrogens were detectable in urine in 78.5% of the girls (median ZEN: 1.02 ng/ml, range 0-22.3). Girls with detectable urinary concentrations of (α-ZAL) and total mycoestrogens (sum of ZEN, (α-ZAL) and their metabolites) at baseline were significantly shorter at menarche than girls with levels below detection (p = 0.04). ZEN and total mycoestrogen concentrations were inversely associated with height- and weight-z-scores at menarche (adjusted β = - 0.18, 95% CI: -0.29, - 0.08, and adjusted β = - 0.10, 95% CI: -0.21, 0.01, respectively)., Conclusion: This study supports and extends our previous results suggesting that exposure to ZEN, (α-ZAL), and their metabolites is associated with slower growth and pubertal development in adolescent girls.