Specific PFAS Differentially Affect Maternal Midlife Adiposity

MONDAY, Sept. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Specific perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) measured in early pregnancy differentially affect maternal midlife adiposity, according to a study published online Sept. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Jordan A. Burdeau, Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues estimated associations of early pregnancy measures of individual PFAS and PFAS mixtures with maternal adiposity in midlife in 547 Project Viva participants.

The researchers found that per doubling of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and 2-(N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate, linear regression estimated higher midlife weight (3.8 and 2.3 kg, respectively). A positive association was seen between PFOS and midlife adiposity (weight, 7.7 kg), trunk fat mass (1.2 kg), and total body fat mass (3.0 kg) in Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression; inverse associations were seen for perfluorononanoate and perfluorohexane sulfonate. For the overall PFAS mixture, no associations were seen.

“If our findings are supported by additional evidence, we may improve understanding of the effects of PFAS on cardiometabolic health during pregnancy, which in turn may improve early prevention or detection of adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes,” the authors write.

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