Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2025
Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development
Published on: May 17, 2024
Association between gestational PFAS exposure and Children's adiposity in a diverse population
Michael S Bloom1, Sarah Commodore2, Pamela L Ferguson3
1Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
Insights
Gestational exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact childhood adiposity. Maternal race-ethnicity and obesity status may modify these effects, suggesting PFAS as potential developmental obesogens.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants suspected of disrupting metabolic processes.
- Maternal exposure to PFAS during pregnancy can cross the placenta, potentially affecting fetal development.
- Limited data exist on the association between gestational PFAS exposure and childhood adiposity, particularly in diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal serum concentrations of six common PFAS during the first trimester of pregnancy and measures of adiposity in children aged 4-8 years.
- To explore potential effect modification by maternal race-ethnicity and pre-pregnancy obesity status on these associations.
- To identify specific PFAS that may act as developmental obesogens.
Main Methods:
- A diverse mother-child cohort (n=803) was established, with maternal blood collected in the first trimester for PFAS analysis using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.
- Childhood adiposity was assessed using body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) z-score, fat mass, fat-free mass, and % body fat.
- Statistical models were used to estimate associations between individual PFAS concentrations and adiposity outcomes, adjusting for relevant confounders and testing for effect modification.
Main Results:
- Higher maternal perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) concentrations were associated with increased childhood WC z-score, fat mass, and % body fat among women without obesity.
- Associations between PFAS and childhood adiposity varied significantly by maternal race-ethnicity among women without obesity.
- In contrast, higher concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were associated with reduced adiposity in children born to mothers with obesity.
Conclusions:
- Gestational exposure to certain PFAS, such as PFUnDA, may contribute to increased childhood adiposity, particularly in offspring of non-obese mothers.
- Maternal race-ethnicity appears to be a significant modifier of PFAS-adiposity associations in children.
- The findings suggest that specific PFAS may function as developmental obesogens, with effects potentially differing based on maternal metabolic status and race-ethnicity.
Abstract:
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely distributed suspected obesogens that cross the placenta. However, few data are available to assess potential fetal effects of PFAS exposure on children's adiposity in diverse populations. To address the data gap, we estimated associations between gestational PFAS concentrations and childhood adiposity in a diverse mother-child cohort. We considered 6 PFAS in first trimester blood plasma, measured using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, collected from non-smoking women with low-risk singleton pregnancies (n = 803). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass, fat-free mass, and % body fat were ascertained in 4-8 year old children as measures of adiposity. We estimated associations of individual gestational PFAS with children's adiposity and overweight/obesity, adjusted for confounders. There were more non-Hispanic Black (31.7 %) and Hispanic (42.6 %) children with overweight/obesity, than non-Hispanic white (18.2 %) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.4 %) children (p < 0.0001). Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; 5.3 ng/mL) and perfluorooctanoic acid (2.0 ng/mL) had the highest median concentrations in maternal blood. Among women without obesity (n = 667), greater perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) was associated with their children having higher WC z-score (β = 0.08, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.14; p = 0.02), fat mass (β = 0.55 kg, 95%CI: 0.21, 0.90; p = 0.002), and % body fat (β = 0.01 %; 95%CI: 0.003, 0.01; p = 0.004), although the association of PFUnDA with fat mass attenuated at the highest concentrations. Among women without obesity, the associations of PFAS and their children's adiposity varied significantly by self-reported race-ethnicity, although the direction of the associations was inconsistent. In contrast, among the children of women with obesity, greater, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid, and perfluorodecanoic acid concentrations were associated with less adiposity (n = 136). Our results suggest that specific PFAS may be developmental obesogens, and that maternal race-ethnicity may be an important modifier of the associations among women without obesity.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Obesity
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...