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Updated: Jun 26, 2025

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Environmental Phenols and Growth in Infancy: The Infant Feeding and Early Development Study

Danielle R Stevens1, Mandy Goldberg1, Margaret Adgent2

  • 1Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|May 16, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Early infant exposure to phenols, common endocrine disruptors, is linked to higher body mass index (BMI) and faster BMI increases. This suggests potential long-term health risks, including obesity and cardiometabolic issues.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Rapid infant body mass index (BMI) increases are linked to later obesity.
  • Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phenols may influence infant BMI.
  • Phenols are common environmental contaminants with potential health impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between environmental phenol exposures and infant BMI in a US prospective cohort.
  • To examine how early-life phenol exposure affects BMI z-score levels and trajectories in infants.

Main Methods:

  • Measured urinary phenols in 199 infants at 6-8 and 12 weeks.
  • Assessed BMI z-score through 12 visits up to 36 weeks of age.
  • Analyzed associations between averaged early phenols and BMI z-score using mean differences and relative risk ratios.

Main Results:

  • Benzophenone-3, methylparaben, propylparaben, and combined phenols were associated with higher mean BMI z-score.
  • Benzophenone-3, dichlorophenols, and combined phenols were linked to an increased risk of rapid BMI z-score trajectory.
  • Specific phenols showed significant associations with both BMI level and growth patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Early infant exposure to phenols is associated with increased mean BMI z-score and rapid BMI increases.
  • These findings suggest potential long-term cardiometabolic consequences of early phenol exposure.
  • Environmental phenol exposure is a critical factor to consider in infant growth and obesity prevention.
Abstract

Keywords:
body mass indexgrowth trajectoriesinfantlongitudinal studiesphenols

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