Obesogenic Toxicants in Breast Milk of Lactating Women: Investigation of a Risk Factor for Childhood Obesity

Abstract

Background: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), dispersed in all environmental compartments, are associated with increased adipogenesis and body weight. These lipophilic toxicants bioaccumulate in the human body and get transferred from mothers to their offspring via the placental circulation and breast milk. The current study was designed to compare polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentrations between obese and normal-weight lactating women. Methods: A cross-sectional correlation design was used to compare POP concentrations in breast milk samples of 24 obese and 21 normal-weight adult lactating women at their 2- to 8-week postpartum clinic visit. Concentrations of 12 specific PCB congeners and HCB were analyzed using high-resolution gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy. Results: Of 12 targeted PCB congeners, 6 were detected in the breast milk samples of obese women compared to 3 in normal-weight lactating women. PCB presence was not significantly different between the obese and normal-weight groups. HCB was not detected in any of the breast milk samples for either group. Conclusions: This exploratory study revealed no statistically significant difference in the presence of PCBs in breast milk of obese mothers compared to that of normal-weight women. Therefore, fear of increased risk of transmission of these toxicants may not be a good reason to avoid breastfeeding. Results point to the need for a large-scale multicenter study that examines the effect of PCBs on breastfeeding, considering possible geographic variations of the examined phenomenon.

Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the available evidence in relation to the potential obesogenic activity of certain chemical compounds that may be present in foods

“…It has been shown that the exposure of parents before conception to PCBs can influence the weight of the neonate (Robledo et al, 2015). Exposure of infants through breast milk is important, although in a study conducted on milk from mothers with obesity and normal weight, no significant differences in the presence of PCBs were observed between both groups (Gautam et al, 2020). It is also important to note that PCBs that accumulate in adipose tissue can be released into the systemic circulation during weight loss (Louis et al, 2014).…”

Effects of Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Maternal Body on Infants

“…In addition, residual DDT in breast milk also has a significant impact on fetal growth (BW, CHL, HC and CC) ( 20 ). OCPs are associated with lipogenesis and weight gain, and they may increase the risk of childhood obesity ( 145 ). Prenatal exposure to HCB increases the risk of being overweight in children under the age of 6 ( 55 ).…”

Association of pre-pregnancy maternal overweight/obesity and dietary intake during pregnancy with the levels of persistent organic pollutants in the human milk of Brazilian women

“…Maternal adiposity and dietary intake are critical factors associated with increased POPs concentrations or their presence in lipidic matrices. Maternal adiposity appears to be positively related to POPs concentrations in human milk, although the ndings are controversial (Mostafalou et al 2016;Ellsworth et al 2020;Gautam et al 2020).…”