Individuals with heightened exposure to "forever chemicals" early in pregnancy could be at greater risk of weight gain and heart disease later in life, a new study has found.
Those with higher blood levels of these toxic compounds at their prenatal visits both weighed more and exhibited greater body fat at 50 years old, according to the study, published Thursday in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Known for their propensity to linger in the human body and in the environment, so-called forever chemicals — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are known to interfere with hormones and cause a wide range of health issues.
PFAS are found in a variety of household products, waterproof apparel and nonstick cookware, as well as in certain types of firefighting foam and industrial discharge.
While evidence already suggests that PFAS exposure can contribute to cardiometabolic disease development, the study's authors were interested in evaluating these effects during pregnancy, a particularly sensitive period for hormone processes.
To do so, the researchers tracked the health trajectories of 547 people who were pregnant during their early 30s more than two decades ago.
As participants in a long-term women's health study called Project Viva, these individuals all provided blood samples at prenatal visits between 1999 and 2000 — when they were on average about 32 1/2 years old and 10 weeks pregnant. Scientists then evaluated those samples for six types of PFAS.
When they returned for follow-up visits between 17 years and 20 years later, those people who had exhibited heightened blood levels of PFAS at their prenatal visits tended to exhibit comparatively greater weight gain, bigger waist sizes and higher total body fat masses, per the study.
Such long-term impacts on weight and fat buildup can have adverse knock-on effects, increasing susceptibility to obesity and heart disease later in life, the researchers warned.
“It’s important to try to limit your PFAS exposure as it could reduce your risk of health issues later in life,” lead author Jordan Burdeau, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement.
Burdeau and her colleagues found evidence that certain types of PFAS were associated with greater risk of midlife weight issues than others.
Of especial concern regarding both weight gain and fat accumulation was a particularly notorious type of PFAS known by a similar acronym, PFOS. While PFOS has largely been phased out of production, it remains widespread in the global environment.
The scientists also identified a connection between midlife weight gain and exposure to a compound called MeFOSAA, which is also a known chemical precursor for PFOS.
On the other hand, exposure to two other types of PFAS — PFNA and PFHxS — was associated with lower fat accumulation and less weight gain.
Considering these findings, the researchers stressed the need to recognize pregnancy as a sensitive period for chemical exposure and future cardiometabolic outcomes. As such, they called for future such research among larger, more diverse populations.
“Our findings may improve understanding of the effects of PFAS on cardiometabolic health during pregnancy," Burdeau said.
Such an understanding, she added, "in turn may improve early prevention or detection of adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes in women.”
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