First Year Growth in Relation to Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors — A Dutch Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Growth in the first year of life may already be predictive of obesity later in childhood. The objective was to assess the association between prenatal exposure to various endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and child growth during the first year. Dichloro-diphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl)phthalate (MECPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate (MEOHP), polychlorinated biphenyl-153, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and perfluoro-octanoic acid were measured in cord plasma or breast milk. Data on weight, length, and head circumference (HC) until 11 months after birth was obtained from 89 mother-child pairs. Mixed models were composed for each health outcome and exposure in quartiles. For MEOHP, boys in quartile 1 had a higher BMI than higher exposed boys (p = 0.029). High DDE exposure was associated with low BMI over time in boys (0.8 kg/m2 difference at 11 m). Boys with high MECPP exposure had a greater HC (1.0 cm difference at 11 m) than other boys (p = 0.047), as did girls in the second quartile of MEHHP (p = 0.018) and DDE (p < 0.001) exposure. In conclusion, exposure to phthalates and DDE was associated with BMI as well as with HC during the first year after birth. These results should be interpreted with caution though, due to the limited sample size.

Adipose Tissue as a Site of Toxin Accumulation

“…Fifteen of 24 studies that investigated DDE exposures found positive associations between prenatal and early exposure to DDE and measures of obesity including BMI (189) (402) (414) (265) (189) (95) (423), weight (174) (189) (127), overweight (21, 408), rapid growth (265) (407), and waist circumference (383, 402) (101, 423). Only one 4-year study on Russian boys aged 6–8 years found a negative association between DDE and BMI (58).…”

A Systematic Review of the Interplay Between Social Determinants and Environmental Exposures for Early-Life Outcomes

“…This is surprising given the increasing prevalence and concern with this outcome, as well as numerous studies documenting independent effects of both psychosocial and environmental exposures, and clear patterning of childhood obesity according to SES [54]. For example, recent evidence points to multiple chemical exposures, and to prenatal exposure to endocrinedisrupting chemicals in particular, as factors that may disrupt child growth and contribute to obesity risk [55][56][57]. Likewise, childhood obesity is associated with many sociodemographic risks like growing up in poverty and living with a single parent [58], as well as with experiencing significant psychosocial adversity like maltreatment [4].…”

Perinatal exposure to chlordecone and infant growth

“…Similar studies investigating other organochlorine chemicals with hormonal activities have reported an increase in BMI or risk of overweight associated with prenatal DDT/ DDE exposure at different ages (from 14 months to 6.5 years) (Mendez et al, 2011;Valvi et al, 2014Valvi et al, , 2012Verhulst et al, 2009). However, one study reported a decrease in BMI (de Cock et al, 2014a(de Cock et al, , 2014b and several reported an absence of association (Cupul-Uicab et al, 2013;Garced et al, 2012;Gladen et al, 2004;Warner et al, 2013). Reported associations between prenatal exposure to PCBs and BMI at different ages, from three to seven years, were inconsistent (Dallaire et al, 2014;Tang-Péronard et al, 2014;Valvi et al, 2012;Verhulst et al, 2009).…”