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In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers examined whether American dietary guidelines designed to promote optimal nutrition during pregnancy also helped minimize exposure to toxic chemicals.

In short:

• Pregnant women who more closely followed the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) had lower exposure levels to some phthalates, bisphenols, and organophosphate esters (a class of chemical flame retardants and plasticizers).
• However, closely following DGA recommendations was also associated with higher exposure to some insecticides, parabens, and benzophenones.
• Overall, a diet that meets protein, whole grain, vegetable, and fruit needs - dietary patterns that are generally associated with a lower consumption of processed and packaged foods - may reduce exposure to many toxic chemicals.

Key quote:

“Although updated recommendations can help on the individual level, given the widespread exposure to many known reproductive and developmental toxicants, efforts should ultimately focus on reducing these contaminants throughout the food supply.”

Why this matters:

Exposure to toxic chemicals has been shown to result in pregnancy complications and harm to babies’ neurodevelopment, growth, and cognitive, metabolic and reproductive health, resulting in long-term and potentially severe outcomes. While studies such as this show that lifestyle choices like diet can influence chemical exposure, the increasing use of synthetic chemicals and plastic throughout the modern food system introduces opportunities for contamination from initial processing to preparation for a wide variety of foods. Research has shown that regulatory and policy interventions are more effective, more consistent, and have a more widespread impact than strategies that put the burden on individual consumers to protect themselves.

Related EHN coverage:

• Minimizing food contact with plastics may help rapidly decrease exposure to some toxic chemicals, study finds
• Vitamins and essential minerals may help minimize the impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals

More resources:

• SafetyNEST provides resources on how to reduce environmental exposures while pregnant and at home.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Reducing Prenatal Exposure to Toxic Environmental Agents

Pacyga, D. et al. (2026). Dietary guidelines adherence and pregnancy exposure to 10 classes of priority chemicals: an observational study in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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