Children exposed to high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in womb more likely to be obese, study finds
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Children exposed to high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in the womb are more likely to be obese, research shows
Children exposed to high levels of forever chemicals in the womb are more likely to be overweight or obese, a government-funded study has found.
Researchers at Brown University found that the risk of forever chemicals starts before birth, causing children to have health problems later in life.
Per- and polyfluorochemicals (PFAS) are also called ‘forever chemicals’ because they are almost indestructible.
PFAS has been standard in the production of everyday household products, from non-stick pans and food packaging to fire extinguishing foam.
Previous studies have shown that consuming chemicals forever contribute to weight gain because they can disrupt hormone regulation.
Exposure to PFAS has also been linked to a host of worrisome health problems, including infertility, metabolic disorders, kidney disease, and certain cancers.
The researchers found that higher levels of PFAS in the mother’s blood during pregnancy were associated with slightly higher BMIs in their children
Their findings were based on eight study cohorts in different parts of the US and other demographic groups.
The study collected data from 1,391 children between the ages of two and five and their mothers over two decades.
The participants came from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Hampshire, Georgia and New York.
The researchers examined the levels of seven different PFAS chemicals in blood samples collected from mothers during pregnancy. They also calculated each child’s body mass index (BMI).
The researchers found that higher levels of PFAS in the mother’s blood during pregnancy were associated with slightly higher BMIs in their children.
Each doubling of perfluroundecanoic acid was associated with a 10 percent increased risk that the child would be overweight or obese.
Each doubling of N-methylperfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid was linked to a six percent higher risk that the child would be overweight or obese.
This association was seen even at low levels of PFAS exposure, said senior author Joseph Braun, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Brown’s School of Public Health.
He said: ‘The fact that we see these associations at relatively low levels in a contemporary population suggests that although the use of PFAS in products has declined, pregnant people are still at risk of harm today.
“This means, according to our findings, that their children may also be at risk for PFAS-associated adverse health effects.”
The researchers noted that the link between PFAS and BMI is “biologically plausible.”
The study paper said: ‘PFAS can readily cross the placenta and pass from the maternal to fetal circulation, with PFHxS having the highest placental transfer rate and PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA possibly having low placental transfer rates.’
PFAS activate a group of nuclear receptor proteins, which affect adipocyte programming (how energy is stored in the body) and possibly trigger adipogenesis (the formation of fat cells), increasing fat mass.
PFAS can also interfere with thyroid function and potentially decrease and increase levels of several thyroid hormones, which can increase fat tissue in the body.
The research has been published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Studies suggest that more than 97 percent of Americans now have PFAS chemicals in their blood.
But US states are only just waking up to the threat, with Minnesota ready to become the first to ban them fully by 2025.