Dioxin may decrease testosterone

Dioxin may decrease testosterone - International Herald Tribune:
Researchers have found evidence that high blood levels of a certain dioxin commonly found in the general male population are associated with decreased testosterone levels and a not necessarily beneficial inhibition of prostate growth. Dioxins are a toxic byproduct of various industrial processes that are ingested in the fat of meats and dairy products.

The researchers measured levels of the dioxin TCDD in 964 U.S. veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the Vietnam War project to spray the herbicide Agent Orange. They compared them over a 20-year period ending in 2002 to 1,259 veterans who were not involved in the spraying program. The study appears in the November issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

'In the comparison group it's very clear,' said Dr. Amit Gupta, the study's lead author and a resident in urology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 'Each increase in dioxin decreases the rate of benign prostate enlargement and decreases serum levels of testosterone.'