Gestational Perfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Tied to Slightly Higher Early Childhood BMI

FRIDAY, June 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Gestational exposure to higher levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or forever chemicals, is associated with a slightly higher childhood body mass index (BMI) z-score and risk for overweight or obesity, according to a study published online June 7 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Yun Liu, from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues estimated the associations of pregnancy PFAS concentrations with child BMI z-scores and risk for overweight/obesity in eight U.S. cohorts. The analysis included data from 1,391 mother-child pairs who participated in eight Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes cohorts enrolled from 1999 to 2019.

The researchers found a pattern of subtle positive associations of PFAS concentrations in pregnancy with BMI z-scores and risk for overweight/obesity. For each doubling in perfluorohexane sulfonic acid concentrations, there was an association with higher BMI z-scores, and each doubling in perfluroundecanoic acid (relative risk, 1:10; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.16) and N-methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (relative risk, 1:06; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.12) was associated with an increased risk for overweight/obesity. There was some evidence of a monotonic dose-response relation. For PFAS mixture, the association with BMI or risk for overweight/obesity was weaker and less precise. Findings were similar regardless of child sex.

"The conclusions drawn from our study were derived from eight diverse research cohorts situated in various regions of the United States, representing different demographic backgrounds," Liu said in a statement. "Consequently, our findings possess greater generalizability to the overall population."

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