A research conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in October last year has revealed that milk, maize and sorghum sold in retail stores contain a poison known as aflatoxin that could lead to infertility in men and also cause cancer.

Aflatoxin, a poison produced by mold found in food, was discovered in all samples of milk, sorghum and in 95 percent of maize of the 403 samples collected by the ILRI researchers from households and retailers in Nairobi.

A team of medical researchers from Moi University, Eldoret, conducted animal tests on 12 pigs by feeding them with aflatoxin contaminated feed for 60 days,

They then slaughtered the pigs and conducted tests on three organs: the liver, the testis and the epididymis.

According to their findings recorded in the East African Medical Journal, the team observed early abnormal swelling of blood vessels in the testicles.

In addition to that, they also discovered evidence of degeneration and premature death of cells in the testis of the pigs.

The aflatoxin within the testis, was discovered to have also caused changes that may have caused low sperm count- which is basically the low production of sperms.

“Aflatoxins have been shown to disrupt the reproductive system of both humans and animals in both sexes,” the researchers concluded in their report.

As for the findings on the epididymis, the researchers reported an over-production of cells which is a sign of early development of cancer.

The study also reported signs of scarring on the liver which indicates the early stages of liver cirrhosis.