Studies in mice have shown that the fungal toxin zearalenone can mimic estrogen, and it might hamper reproduction. It’s not yet clear if the “mycoestrogen” compound can do the same in women. However, a new study finds that nearly all pregnant women ingest zearalenone as part of their daily diets. Researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Rochester say they detected traces of zearalenone in 97% of urine samples they received from pregnant women. The toxin appears to be more common among folks who eat lots of “ultraprocessed” foods, they added. “For every 1 percent higher ultra-processed food consumption, there was a higher exposure to mycoestrogen,” noted study lead author Carolyn Kinkade, who studied zearalenone for her PhD thesis at Rutgers. To read the full story.