Prenatal exposure to perfluorooctanoate and risk of overweight at 20 years of age: a prospective cohort study.

Perfluoroalkyl acids are persistent compounds used in various
industrial -applications. Of these compounds, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) is
currently detected in humans worldwide. A recent study on low-dose developmental
exposure to PFOA in mice reported increased weight and elevated biomarkers of
adiposity in postpubertal female offspring.Objective: We examined whether the
findings of increased weight in postpubertal female mice could be replicated in
humans.Methods: A prospective cohort of 665 Danish pregnant women was recruited
in 1988-1989 with offspring follow-up at 20 years. PFOA was measured in serum
from gestational week 30. Offspring body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference
were recorded at follow-up (n = 665), and biomarkers of adiposity were quantified
in a subset (n = 422) of participants.Results: After adjusting for covariates,
including maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking, education, and birth weight, in
utero exposure to PFOA was positively associated with anthropometry at 20 years
in female but not male offspring. Adjusted relative risks comparing the highest
with lowest quartile (median: 5.8 vs. 2.3 ng/mL) of maternal PFOA concentration
were 3.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4, 6.9] for overweight or obese (BMI ≥
25 kg/m2) and 3.0 (95% CI: 1.3, 6.8) for waist circumference > 88 cm among female
offspring. This corresponded to estimated increases of 1.6 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.6,
2.6) and 4.3 cm (95% CI: 1.4, 7.3) in average BMI and waist circumference,
respectively. In addition, maternal PFOA concentrations were positively
associated with serum insulin and leptin levels and inversely associated with
adiponectin levels in female offspring. Similar associations were observed for
males, although point estimates were less precise because of fewer observations.
Maternal perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA),
and perfluorononanoate (PFNA) concentrations were not independently associated
with offspring anthropometry at 20 years.Conclusions: Our findings on the effects
of low-dose developmental exposures to PFOA are in line with experimental results
suggesting obesogenic effects in female offspring at 20 years of age.