Association between gestational urinary bisphenol a concentrations and adiposity in young children: The MIREC study
- DOI
- Language of the publication
- English
- Date
- 2019-02-26
- Type
- Article
- Author(s)
- Braun, Joseph M.
- Li, Nan
- Arbuckle, Tye E.
- Dodds, Linda
- Massarelli, Isabelle
- Fraser, William D.
- Lanphear, Bruce P.
- Muckle, Gina
- Publisher
- Elsevier
Abstract
Background Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical and because of its use in many consumer products, exposure is ubiquitous. Gestational BPA exposure has been associated with excess adiposity in rodent studies, but not consistently in human studies. We investigated the relation between gestational BPA exposure and early childhood adiposity in a prospective cohort study of 719 mother-child pairs. Methods We used data from the MIREC Study, a prospective Pan-Canadian pregnancy and birth cohort study. We measured BPA in urine samples collected at an average of 12.1 weeks (range: 6.3–15 weeks) gestation and measured children's weight, height, waist/hip circumference, and subscapular/triceps skinfold thickness at an average age of 3.5 years (range: 1.9–6.2). We estimated covariate-adjusted associations of log2-transformed BPA concentrations with child adiposity measures and examined whether these associations differed in boys and girls. Results Median BPA concentrations were 0.8 ng/mL (IQR: 0.5–1.4). Among both boys and girls, each 2-fold increase in BPA concentrations was associated with higher waist-to-hip ratio (β: 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005). The association of BPA with waist circumference and subscapular skinfold thickness was modified by sex (sex x BPA interaction p-values<0.2). In girls, each 2-fold increase in BPA concentrations was associated with a 0.2 cm (95% CI: 0.0, 0.5) and 0.15 mm (95% CI: 0.01, 0.30) increase in waist circumference and subscapular skinfolds, respectively. Associations were generally null or slightly inverse in boys. Conclusions In this cohort, gestational urinary BPA concentrations were associated with subtle increases in girl's central adiposity during early childhood.
Plain language summary
Health Canada helps to protect the health of Canadians by assessing and managing the health risks associated with exposure to environmental contaminants. In rats, prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has been associated with increased weight in the offspring. However, human studies are few and have not shown consistent results. This study examined the potential association between BPA levels in urine of pregnant women enrolled in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study and child growth. BPA was measured in urine samples collected around 12 weeks’ gestation of pregnancy. The child’s weight, height, waist/hip circumference and skinfold thickness of the back and arm were measured once when the child was between 1.9 and 6.2 years of age. Data were analyzed on 719 mother-child pairs. The study found that among boys and girls, each 2-fold increase in mother’s urinary BPA concentration was associated with higher waist-to-hip ratios in their child. In girls, each 2-fold increase in mother’s urinary BPA concentration was associated with a 0.2 cm increase in the child’s waist circumference and 0.15 mm increase in skinfolds of the child’s back. In this study, prenatal BPA concentrations in urine were associated with small increases in measures of the child’s size. While the study had several limitations, it does contribute to the notion that exposure to environmental chemicals during pregnancy could increase the risk of childhood obesity.
Subject
- Health,
- Health and safety