Reproductive health effects of aflatoxins: A review of the literature

Context: Although it is known that aflatoxins have many adverse health effects, there is no systematic summary of how it affects the reproductive system or its reproductive health effects. Objective: Summarize evidence on the reproductive health effects of aflatoxins. Results: The search yielded 121 potential studies, of which 25 were retained. One study found a higher concentration of aflatoxins in the semen of infertile men (40% of cases compared to 8% of controls). Six studies found significant associations or correlations between low birth weight and aflatoxins while one study did not find any correlation. One study found maternal serum aflatoxin to be a risk factor for jaundice in infants (OR, 2.68; CI, 1.18-6.10). Overall, maternal breast milk in developing countries had higher rates of aflatoxin contamination than in high income countries. Conclusions: Stakeholders in developing countries need to take steps to reduce exposure of vulnerable populations to the toxic effects of aflatoxins. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.