Associations between Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in Childhood and Overweight up to 12 Years Later in a Low Exposed Danish Population

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  • Jeanett L Tang-Péronard
  • Tina K Jensen
  • Helle R Andersen
  • Mathias Ried-Larsen
  • Anders Grøntved
  • Lars B Andersen
  • Clara A G Timmermann
  • Flemming Nielsen
  • Heitmann, Berit

BACKGROUND: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have metabolic disrupting abilities and are suggested to contribute to the obesity epidemic. We investigated whether serum concentrations of POPs at 8-10 years of age were associated with subsequent development of overweight at age 14-16 and 20-22 years.

METHODS: The study was based on data from the European Youth Heart Study, Danish component (1997). Concentrations of several polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the organochlorine pesticides p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in serum from children aged 8-10 years (n = 509). Information on BMI z-scores, waist circumference and % body fat were collected at clinical examinations at ages 8-10, 14-16 and 20-22 years. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed taking potential confounders into account.

RESULTS: Overall, POP serum concentrations were low: median ΣPCB 0.18 µg/g lipid, DDE 0.04 µg/g lipid and HCB 0.03 µg/g lipid. POPs were generally not associated with weight gain at 14-16 and 20-22 years of age, except for an inverse association among the highest exposed girls at 20-22 years of age, which might possibly be explained by multiple testing or residual confounding.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, in a low exposed population, childhood serum concentrations of PCB, DDE, and HCB are not associated with subsequent weight gain.

Original languageEnglish
JournalObesity Facts
Volume8
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)282-92
Number of pages11
ISSN1662-4025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

ID: 161946131