Women exposed to ‘forever chemicals’ during pregnancy have higher risk of obesity

A new study found that women exposed to perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” during pregnancy are at a higher risk of becoming obese in middle age. This was reported on the 6th (local time) by the health and medical webzine “Health Day” based on a paper by researchers at Harvard University published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Women with higher blood PFAS levels early in pregnancy were found to weigh more at age 50 than those with lower levels. These women also had more body fat at age 50, which may make them more susceptible to obesity and heart problems later in life, the researchers noted.

“These findings support the idea that pregnancy may be a sensitive time for PFAS exposure, as pregnancy may be associated with long-term weight gain and subsequent cardiometabolic health outcomes in women,” said lead author Jordan Burdow, a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our findings advance our understanding of how PFAS exposures affect cardiometabolic health during pregnancy, which may lead to improved early prevention or detection of adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes in women.”

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an environmental group, PFAS are found in 99% of Americans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there are thousands of PFAS chemicals. That means they’re found in a wide range of consumer products, including drinking water, fast food wrappers, Teflon cookware, stain-resistant furniture and clothing, and cosmetics and personal care products.

PFAS are called ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not break down in the environment or in the human body. Instead, they accumulate in the body over time. These chemicals are known to disrupt the body’s hormones. Several studies have linked PFAS to decreased fertility in women, developmental effects in children, decreased immune responses, and increased risk of some cancers.

Researchers compared PFAS blood levels in 547 pregnant women in their early 30s with their weight and heart health at age 50. They found that women were more likely to be obese at age 50 and to have poorer heart health because of it. These results are consistent with previous research linking PFAS to high cholesterol and obesity, the EPA said.

The paper can be found at the following link (