Background

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of widespread persistent chemicals, which may have obesogenic effects during the fetal period. This study investigated the long-term association of maternal plasma PFAS concentrations at delivery and their mixture with child body mass index (BMI) and the risk of Overweight or Obesity (OWO) at the age of 2–18 years.

Methods

The study included 1189 mother–child dyads from the prospective Boston Birth Cohort. Eight PFAS were measured in maternal plasma samples collected 24–72 h after delivery. Outcomes were BMI Z-score and OWO status of children at 2–18 years. The exposure-outcome associations were evaluated with linear and modified Poisson mixed-effects regression for individual PFAS and Bayesian kernel machine regression and quantile-based g-computation models for PFAS mixture. We explored the effect modification by maternal pre-pregnancy OWO, child age, sex, and race.

Results

Maternal plasma samples had PFAS detection frequencies from 87 % to 100 % and geometric means ranging from 0.11 to 3.67 ng/mL. PFHpS and PFHxS were associated with higher child BMI Z-score. Such associations were stronger in children aged 6–12 years and 13–18 years than in 2–5 years. Stratified by maternal pre-pregnancy OWO, significant associations of the PFAS mixture with child BMI Z-score were only found in children of non-OWO mothers. In children aged 13–18 years, children with both high maternal plasma PFDeA, PFNA, and PFOA concentrations and maternal OWO had the highest risks of OWO compared to children with either only. Such synergistic effects were not found in younger children.

Conclusions

Early life exposure to individual PFAS and their mixture were associated with a higher risk of childhood OWO, with stronger associations observed in older child age groups and in children of non-OWO mothers. Synergistic effects of PFAS exposures and maternal pre-pregnancy OWO became evident in adolescence.

中文翻译：

---

生命早期全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质 （PFAS） 暴露与 2-18 岁体重指数和超重或肥胖风险的关联：前瞻性波士顿出生队列中的混合物分析

 背景

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质 （PFAS） 是一类广泛使用的持久性化学物质，可能在胎儿期产生致肥胖影响。本研究调查了分娩时母体血浆 PFAS 浓度及其混合物与儿童体重指数 （BMI） 和 2-18 岁超重或肥胖风险 （OWO） 的长期关联。

 方法

该研究包括来自潜在波士顿出生队列的 1189 对母子。在分娩后 24-72 小时收集的母体血浆样本中测量了 8 种 PFAS。结局是 2-18 岁儿童的 BMI Z 评分和 OWO 状态。使用单个 PFAS 的线性和改良泊松混合效应回归以及 PFAS 混合物的贝叶斯核机回归和基于分位数的 g 计算模型来评估暴露-结果关联。我们探讨了母体孕前 OWO 、儿童年龄、性别和种族对效果的改变。

 结果

母体血浆样本的 PFAS 检测频率为 87 % 至 100 %，几何平均值范围为 0.11 至 3.67 ng/mL。PFHpS 和 PFHxS 与较高的儿童 BMI Z 评分相关。这种关联在 6-12 岁和 13-18 岁儿童中比在 2-5 岁儿童中更强。按母体孕前 OWO 分层，PFAS 混合物与儿童 BMI Z 评分的显着关联仅在非 OWO 母亲的孩子中发现。在 13-18 岁的儿童中，与仅患有其中任何一种浓度的儿童相比，母体血浆 PFDeA、PFNA 和 PFOA 浓度高的儿童以及母体 OWO 的风险最高。在年幼儿童中没有发现这种协同效应。

 结论

早期暴露于单个 PFAS 及其混合物与较高的儿童 OWO 风险相关，在年龄较大的儿童年龄组和非 OWO 母亲的孩子中观察到更强的相关性。PFAS 暴露和产妇孕前 OWO 的协同效应在青春期变得明显。