Pregnant women exposed to PFAS may be at risk of obesity and heart disease later in life

Women with high levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during pregnancy may experience long-term weight gain and heart problems later in life, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

PFAS are man-made chemicals found in food packaging, cookware, clothing, drinking water, personal care products, and many other consumer products. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with hormones and cause health problems such as obesity, infertility, and cancer.

“Our study supports the idea that pregnancy may be a sensitive period for PFAS exposure because it may be associated with long-term weight gain and related adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes in women,” said the study’s first author, Dr. Jordan Burdeau of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. “Our findings may improve understanding of the effects of PFAS on cardiometabolic health during pregnancy, which may improve early prevention or detection of adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes in women.”

Researchers studied 547 pregnant women in their early 30s, comparing PFAS levels during pregnancy with cardiometabolic health outcomes at age 50. They found that women with higher levels of PFAS in their blood during early pregnancy were more overweight and had more body fat at age 50 than those with lower levels, which may make them more susceptible to obesity and heart health problems later in life.

“It’s important to try to limit your PFAS exposure because it can reduce your risk of having health problems later in life,” Burdeau said.

Other study authors include: Briana Stephenson, Jorge Chavarro, Emma Preston, and Tamarra James-Todd of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Shruthi Mahalingaiah of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass.; Marie-France Hivert of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Institute in Boston, Mass.; Emily Oken of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Institute in Boston, Mass.; Antonia Calafat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia; Sheryl Rifas-Shiman of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Institute; and Ami Zota of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, N.Y.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.