Vanguard Allure

Top Menu

  • Vanguard

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
  • Vanguard

logo

Vanguard Allure

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Queen Ronke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi: Championing African creativity

      July 6, 2025
      0
    • Couture Legends

      June 29, 2025
      0
    • I've unlocked a new side of myself - Rebecca Afolabi, Former Miss ...

      June 22, 2025
      0
    • Mudi Africa@32: Clothing Generations

      June 15, 2025
      0
    • Couture as Counter-Narrative: Paul Williams and the Architecture of Cultural Memory

      June 10, 2025
      0
    • Temitope Ayobami Ogunseitan: Advancing Sustainable Fashion

      June 8, 2025
      0
    • Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha: Beyond The Spotlight

      June 1, 2025
      0
    • Tope Mark-Odigie: Living to Impact

      May 25, 2025
      0
    • HILARY RODRIGUEZ-TAIWO: Reframing beauty standards

      May 18, 2025
      0
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
    • Purp Crowned Winner of Nigerian Idol Season 10

      July 14, 2025
      0
    • Allergan Aesthetics Redefines Beauty Standards with Nigerian Market Entry

      July 6, 2025
      0
    • Africa Launches Groundbreaking Reality TV Show to Crown the First “Queen of ...

      July 4, 2025
      0
    • NGO calls for dairy products introduction in school feeding programmes

      June 18, 2025
      0
    • Couture as Counter-Narrative: Paul Williams and the Architecture of Cultural Memory

      June 10, 2025
      0
    • Paul Okoye raises concerns about negative effects of social media

      May 29, 2025
      0
    • Healthcare deficiency heightens vulnerability among girls, NGO warns

      May 28, 2025
      0
    • CDSS Ojo alumni boost learning efficiency in their alma mater

      May 22, 2025
      0
    • Sanwo-Olu hosts Guinness World Record holder, Ayelabola Ololade

      May 13, 2025
      0
  • Purp Crowned Winner of Nigerian Idol Season 10

  • Priscilla Ojo Embraces Islam After Marriage

  • Yul Edochie’s daughter, Danielle, graduates from University

  • Zikel Cosmetics & Oma Jay launch new skincare range for women of colour

  • Rocking Neon: Easy Ways to Add Bold Colours to Your Wardrobe

Allure MagazineHealthy LivingNews
Home›Allure Magazine›Your gym mat may be affecting your fertility- Study

Your gym mat may be affecting your fertility- Study

August 28,2017
Share:

By Sewe Ishola,

Women who are hoping to get pregnant soon may want to say goodbye to their gym mats.

A study just published in Environmental Health Perspectives  hints that women’s exposure to organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) found in gym mats, and other foam products may be lowering their fertility.

What the PFR? These are a class of chemicals that are commonly used in yoga mats, sofas, car seats, and other types of polyurethane foam to make them less flammable.

For the study, researchers from Harvard (Courtney C. Carignan, Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, Paige L. Williams, Thomas L. Toth, Jennifer B. Ford, and Russ Hauser), Duke University (Craig M. Butt), and the University of Michigan (John D. Meeker and Heather M. Stapleton) followed 211 women who went to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Fertility Center to be evaluated for in vitro fertilization. The researchers checked the women’s urine for metabolites of PFR’s and found that 87% had bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (or BDCIPP if you want to say it really quickly), 94% had diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), and 80% had isopropylphenyl phenyl phosphate (ip-PPP). Those who had the highest amount of DPHP and ip-PPP in their pee (the highest quartile) ended up being 10% less likely to achieve fertilization, 31% less likely to have the embryo successfully implant in the uterus, 41% less likely to achieve pregnancy, and a 38% less likely to have a live birth compared to those who had the least amount of those P’s in their pee (the lowest quartile).

Of course, the study has its limitations. It is one sample from a very specific location and a very specific population: women going to a particular fertility clinic in Boston. The study didn’t look at all of the factors that may have affected the women’s fertility. The study also focused on the P’s in the pee and did not examine how much the women were exposed to different items that may have PFRs such as yoga mats. Therefore, the study does not show how much exposure to PFRs actually came from yoga mats.

Organophosphate falme retardants (PFRs) are in many products with polyurethane foam. (Photo: Shutterstock)

And if you men think that you can snuggle with your yoga mats or sofas without any consequence, a study published in the journal Endocrine Disruptors (which also sounds like a Tranformers-like movie) showed that PFR exposure may be associated with decreased sperm motility.

But how can such chemicals get into your body when most of us don’t eat yoga mats? Well, as described in a publication in Chemosphere, PFRs can easily move from the foam to your hands, face, and body through contact and even into the air that you breathe. So, in essence, you could be literally eating and breathing your yoga mat.

What then can you do besides wearing a hazmat suit and holding your breath throughout yoga class (which would be counter to yoga practice and not advisable)? Some companies have developed “organic” and “eco-friendly” yoga mats that are supposed to not have such chemicals. Rachel Grice listed 5 such mats for Livestrong. However, just changing your yoga mats won’t eliminate your exposure to PFRs since they are in so many items around you and as a result probably in the air that you breathe. The question is whether PFRs are really necessary in many products and whether the risks outweigh the benefits. After all, you may be hot or doing hot yoga, but chances are you don’t have to worry about your yoga mat bursting into flames.

 

Source: Forbes

TagsAllure VanguardExercisefertilityflame retardantslowermenwomenYoga mat
Previous Article

Singer, Tiwa Savage visits Paul Okoye’s twins ...

Next Article

Actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie reveals secret of ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • Allure MagazineNews

    Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner dies at 91

    September 28, 2017
    By allure1
  • Career

    How to beat Monday Blues?

    March 11, 2019
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineLifestyle

    Japanese men practice fatherhood with dolls in order to find wives

    October 10, 2016
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineBeautyNews

    Bread seller turned model, Olajumoke Orisaguna releases stunning photos

    March 17, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    See former BBA housemate, Beverly Osu’s hilarious response to comment on her make up

    January 5, 2017
    By allure1
  • Uncategorized

    Controversial politician, FFK shares lovely pictures of his wife and son

    March 8, 2018
    By allure1
0

  • FoodHappiness

    What you need to know about bell peppers, their colours and nutrients

  • Tonto dikeh and Regina Daniels
    EntertainmentNewsTrending

    Tonto Dikeh responds as Ada Karl calls her out for 15-year-old debt

  • NewsTrending

    Pastor Adeboye Writes SCOAN, Says T.B Joshua is with Jesus

  • 5312
    Followers
  • 0
    Likes

Timeline

  • July 14, 2025

    Purp Crowned Winner of Nigerian Idol Season 10

  • July 14, 2025

    Priscilla Ojo Embraces Islam After Marriage

  • July 8, 2025

    Yul Edochie’s daughter, Danielle, graduates from University

  • July 7, 2025

    Zikel Cosmetics & Oma Jay launch new skincare range for women of colour

  • July 7, 2025

    Rocking Neon: Easy Ways to Add Bold Colours to Your Wardrobe

Categories

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Purp Crowned Winner of Nigerian Idol Season 10

    By CHIOMA
    July 14, 2025
  • Priscilla Ojo Embraces Islam After Marriage

    By CHIOMA
    July 14, 2025
  • Yul Edochie’s daughter, Danielle, graduates from University

    By Temitope
    July 8, 2025
  • Zikel Cosmetics & Oma Jay launch new skincare range for women of colour

    By Temitope
    July 7, 2025
  • Chioma Jesus, Sammie Okposo, Midnight Crew set for #THUGGLA2018

    By CHIOMA
    April 24, 2018
  • American rapper, Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer prize for 2017 ‘Damn’ album

    By CHIOMA
    April 17, 2018
  • Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti drops new album titled ‘Black Times’ 

    By CHIOMA
    April 23, 2018
  • Actor, Yul Edochie declares intention to run for presidency

    By CHIOMA
    April 23, 2018

Entertainment

  • July 14, 2025

    Priscilla Ojo Embraces Islam After Marriage

  • June 28, 2025

    Kayode Peters dies in Canada at 49

  • June 3, 2025

    Abiola Adebayo confirms separation from husband 

  • May 21, 2025

    ‘Prophet Suddenly 3’ Shatters All-Time Record for a Christian Film — 1 Million Views in Just 48 Hours

  • April 15, 2025

    My greatest problem in life is ‘love’ – Beverly Osu

Follow us