Associations between Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in Childhood and Overweight up to 12 Years Later in a Low Exposed Danish Population

TY - JOUR

T1 - Associations between Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in Childhood and Overweight up to 12 Years Later in a Low Exposed Danish Population

AU - Tang-Péronard, Jeanett L

AU - Jensen, Tina K

AU - Andersen, Helle R

AU - Ried-Larsen, Mathias

AU - Grøntved, Anders

AU - Andersen, Lars B

AU - Timmermann, Clara A G

AU - Nielsen, Flemming

AU - Heitmann, Berit L

N1 - © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

PY - 2015/9/1

Y1 - 2015/9/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have metabolic disrupting abilities and are suggested to contribute to the obesity epidemic. We investigated whether serum concentrations of POPs at 8-10 years of age were associated with subsequent development of overweight at age 14-16 and 20-22 years.METHODS: The study was based on data from the European Youth Heart Study, Danish component (1997). Concentrations of several polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the organochlorine pesticides p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in serum from children aged 8-10 years (n = 509). Information on BMI z-scores, waist circumference and % body fat were collected at clinical examinations at ages 8-10, 14-16 and 20-22 years. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed taking potential confounders into account.RESULTS: Overall, POP serum concentrations were low: median ΣPCB 0.18 µg/g lipid, DDE 0.04 µg/g lipid and HCB 0.03 µg/g lipid. POPs were generally not associated with weight gain at 14-16 and 20-22 years of age, except for an inverse association among the highest exposed girls at 20-22 years of age, which might possibly be explained by multiple testing or residual confounding.CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, in a low exposed population, childhood serum concentrations of PCB, DDE, and HCB are not associated with subsequent weight gain.

AB - BACKGROUND: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have metabolic disrupting abilities and are suggested to contribute to the obesity epidemic. We investigated whether serum concentrations of POPs at 8-10 years of age were associated with subsequent development of overweight at age 14-16 and 20-22 years.METHODS: The study was based on data from the European Youth Heart Study, Danish component (1997). Concentrations of several polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the organochlorine pesticides p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in serum from children aged 8-10 years (n = 509). Information on BMI z-scores, waist circumference and % body fat were collected at clinical examinations at ages 8-10, 14-16 and 20-22 years. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed taking potential confounders into account.RESULTS: Overall, POP serum concentrations were low: median ΣPCB 0.18 µg/g lipid, DDE 0.04 µg/g lipid and HCB 0.03 µg/g lipid. POPs were generally not associated with weight gain at 14-16 and 20-22 years of age, except for an inverse association among the highest exposed girls at 20-22 years of age, which might possibly be explained by multiple testing or residual confounding.CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, in a low exposed population, childhood serum concentrations of PCB, DDE, and HCB are not associated with subsequent weight gain.

U2 - 10.1159/000438834

DO - 10.1159/000438834

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26228100

SN - 1662-4025

VL - 8

SP - 282

EP - 292

JO - Obesity Facts

JF - Obesity Facts

IS - 4

ER -