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Women exposed to low levels of a common stain repellent while inthe womb are three times as likely to gain more weight and havelarge waists as young adults than women less exposed duringdevelopment. Meanwhile, the results of the two-decade study foundno link between men's obesity and prenatal exposure to the chemicalknown as PFOA. The study is published in the journal Environmental HealthPerspectives. While this is the first time that PFOA has been linked directly toobesity in humans, this study was initiated explicitly because workwith mice showed that low doses of PFOA can cause weight gains inpost-pubertal female mice exposed in the womb. This work raisesfurther concerns that chemical exposures in the womb – evenat low concentrations – may play a role in the ongoingobesity epidemic in people. In the last decades, obesity rates in children and adults worldwidehave skyrocketed. The accompanying societal effects – whichcan include health problems such as diabetes and heart disease– have experts concerned. Processed foods, less activity andexposure to environmental chemicals may contribute to the problem. This human study coincides with results from a recent animal study.Researchers found a link between prebirth exposures and weight gainin the female but not the male offspring. The chemical PFOA – also known as C8 – is used to manufacture non-stickpans and water-resistant clothing. It is also found in some foodpackaging – such as microwave popcorn bags – as well asstain-resistant carpets, carpet-cleaning solutions and some paints.Related chemicals used in fast food packaging may also turn intoPFOA once they are absorbed into the body. Because of its common use, PFOA is found in virtually everyone'sblood. Several U.S. companies have agreed to reduce the use of PFOA and related chemicals by 2015. However, exposures are expected tocontinue for a long time, because the chemicals already contaminatehomes and food and break down very slowly. Researchers measured levels of PFOA and other related fluorinatedchemicals in blood samples collected from 665 pregnant Danish womenin 1988 and 1989. Twenty years later, these levels were compared tobody mass index (BMI), waist circumference and blood levels ofrelated hormones in their daughters and sons. They adjusted forsocioeconomic, personal habits and other factors that might alsoinfluence weight gain in the children. They found that women exposed to the highest PFOA levels in thewomb were three times more likely to be overweight or obese at age20 compared to women with the lowest pre-birth exposures. Thehigher-exposed women were also three times more likely to have alarge waist circumference compared to the less-exposed women. Noeffects were found in men, or for the other examined chemicals. In women, higher PFOA levels were also associated with higherlevels of leptin and insulin and lower levels of adiponectin– three important hormones for regulating body weight.Hormone effects in men were similar, but with weaker associations. Further research is needed to better understand the links betweenearly chemical exposures and obesity since other chemicals such asbisphenol A – which is used widely in hard plastics, food andbeverage cans and cash-register receipts – are also potentialobesogens. The above work by Environmental Health News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 UnportedLicense . Based on a work at . I am an expert from homedecorationpieces.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Fancy Floor Lamp , Decorative Glass Pieces Manufacturer, Interior Ceiling Lights,and more.
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