Findings based on data from eight U.S. cohorts<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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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<\/em>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n