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Prenatal bisphenol a urine concentrations and early rapid growth and overweight risk in the offspring

Damaskini Valvi1, Maribel Casas, Michelle A Mendez

  • 1From the aCentre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; bHospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain; cCIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain; dPompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; eDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; and fDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.

Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
|September 17, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may be linked to childhood obesity, specifically increased waist circumference and BMI by age 4. However, this association was not observed in infancy, and findings should be interpreted cautiously.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Reproductive Toxicology

Background:

  • Emerging evidence links prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to offspring weight gain.
  • Human studies on prenatal BPA exposure and postnatal growth remain limited.
  • This research investigates the impact of prenatal BPA on child growth and obesity development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and postnatal growth trajectories.
  • To assess the relationship between prenatal BPA exposure and obesity-related outcomes in early childhood.
  • To determine if BPA exposure during pregnancy influences body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in children.

Main Methods:

  • Maternal urine samples from a Spanish birth cohort (n=402) were analyzed for BPA concentrations in the 1st and 3rd trimesters.
  • Prenatal BPA exposure was assessed using average creatinine-adjusted BPA levels.
  • Childhood growth and obesity were evaluated using Z scores for weight, BMI, and waist circumference at 14 months and 4 years.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal BPA exposure was associated with increased waist circumference and BMI at 4 years of age.
  • No significant association was found between prenatal BPA exposure and obesity-related outcomes in infancy.
  • Twenty-six percent of children exhibited rapid growth in the first 6 months; 25% were overweight at 14 months and 21% at 4 years.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal BPA exposure shows some association with childhood obesity-related outcomes, but not in infancy.
  • Findings suggest a potential link between BPA exposure during pregnancy and later obesity markers.
  • Uncertainties in BPA exposure assessment necessitate cautious interpretation of the results.
Abstract

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