Fruits and Vegetables: How Healthy Are They Really?

A new study published in JAMA, as well as an international review by the medical schools of EKPA and Democritus University of Alexandroupolis, indicates an increase in gestational diabetes rates, linking it to pesticide exposure.

The study reports that the use of prohibited herbicides and insecticides in crops increases production, but consuming these foods leads to increased rates of gestational diabetes. Panagiotis Chalvatsiotis, head of the study, emphasized the lack of controls in fields and farmers' markets, as well as imports from third countries.

The study also links pesticide exposure to endocrine disorders, insulin resistance, and epigenetic modifications. Epigenetic changes caused by pesticides can have direct and transgenerational effects, affecting fetal development and insulin sensitivity.

It is noted that a Mediterranean diet with minimal loads of toxic pesticides is associated with the lowest risk of gestational diabetes, while poor diet and high exposure to pollutants increase the risk.