Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 02, 2026 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
Scientists Warn That Common Farm Chemicals Could Be Disrupting Hormones and Raising Risks of Cancer, Diabetes, Infertility and Brain Disorders
A major new scientific review is raising fresh concerns about the long-term health effects of pesticides that interfere with the body's hormone system. Researchers warn that these chemicals, known as endocrine-disrupting pesticides, may contribute to a surprisingly wide range of diseases affecting people from before birth through old age.
Major scientific review links hormone-disrupting pesticides to infertility, cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders and
brain development problems
The research was conducted by scientists from Kafrelsheikh University in Egypt, Széchenyi István University in Hungary, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, and the Agricultural Research Center in Egypt. Instead of focusing on a single disease, the team reviewed evidence from laboratory studies and human investigations to understand how these pesticides affect the body throughout life.
Hormones Under Attack
Hormones act as the body's chemical messengers, controlling growth, reproduction, metabolism, brain development and many other essential functions. According to the review, certain pesticides can imitate natural hormones, block them, or interfere with how they are produced, transported and broken down.
The researchers explain that these chemicals can attach to hormone receptors, alter cell signaling, damage hormone-producing tissues through oxidative stress, interfere with thyroid function and even modify gene activity through epigenetic changes. Some effects may persist across generations because exposure can alter the way genes are switched on or off.
Health Risks Stretch Across the Entire Lifespan
The review found evidence linking endocrine-disrupting pesticides to reproductive disorders, hormone-related cancers, obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease and neurodevelopmental problems.
In women, studies have associated pesticide exposure with infertility, delayed pregnancy, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, menstrual irregularities and reduced ovarian function. In men, exposure has been linked to poorer sperm quality, lower sperm counts, abnormal sperm movement, DNA damage and hormonal imbalance. Exposure before birth may also increase the risk of reproductive abnormalities in baby boys.
This
Medical News report highlights that the review also identified pregnancy and early childhood as especially vulnerable periods because hormones guide normal growth and organ development during these stages.
Links to Cancer and Metabolic Disease
The researchers also examined evidence connecting pesticide exposure to prostate, breast and testicular cancers. Some studies reported higher risks among agricultural workers and people with prolonged exposure to specific pesticides, although other studies found no clear association. The review emphasizes that current evidence is stronger for certain chemicals than for pesticides as a whol
e.
The analysis also found repeated links between pesticide exposure and metabolic disorders. Several studies associated exposure with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Scientists believe these chemicals may interfere with energy production inside cells, disrupt fat metabolism, promote chronic inflammation and impair the body's ability to regulate blood sugar.
Brain and Thyroid Health Also at Risk
The thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism and supports brain development, appears particularly vulnerable. The review found evidence that endocrine-disrupting pesticides can alter thyroid hormone production and signaling, potentially increasing the risk of thyroid disorders.
Researchers also highlighted growing evidence connecting prenatal and childhood pesticide exposure with neurodevelopmental conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Disrupted thyroid hormones, oxidative stress and altered brain signaling pathways are believed to play important roles.
A Growing Public Health Concern
The review notes that people are rarely exposed to just one pesticide. Instead, they encounter mixtures of chemicals over many years, often at low doses. Scientists say this makes it difficult to fully understand real-world health risks and highlights the need for long-term monitoring, repeated biological testing and advanced molecular research.
The researchers also stress that future investigations should focus on how multiple pesticides interact, how low-dose exposure accumulates over a lifetime and how early-life exposure may shape health decades later.
Conclusion
Overall, this comprehensive review suggests that endocrine-disrupting pesticides may affect far more than the hormone system alone. By influencing multiple biological pathways simultaneously, these chemicals could contribute to numerous chronic diseases across the lifespan. Although more research is needed to clarify risks for specific pesticides and exposure levels, the growing body of evidence supports stronger monitoring, improved safety assessments and more protective public health policies.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/15/6928
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/toxic-chemicals-and-heavy-metals-threaten-thyroid-health
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/thailand-medical-study-using-ai-uncovers-links-involving-pesticide-exposure-and-liver-disease-risk
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/toxic-substances-like-pesticides-or-vocs-at-10,000-times-lower-concentrations-may-still-affect-individuals
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