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PFCs tied to higher insulin, triglyceride concentrations in overweight children
Exposure to perfluorinated compounds was associated with higher insulin and triglyceride concentrations among children aged 8 to 10 years, data from a recent study indicate.
“Our results suggest that these chemicals, which linger in the environment for years, could represent an important public health hazard that merits further study,” Clara Amalie Gade Timmermann, MSc, of the University of Southern Denmark, said in a press release. “Overweight children who were exposed to higher levels of [perfluorinated compounds] tended to have higher concentrations of insulin and triglycerides in their blood, and these metabolic changes could signal the beginnings of the metabolic syndrome.”
Timmermann and colleagues assessed the BMI, skin fold thickness, waist circumference, leptin, adiponectin, insulin, glucose and triglyceride concentrations of children aged 8 to 10 years in 1997 in a subset of the European Youth Heart Study, Danish component, according to data. Among 527 samples, 499 demonstrated sufficient plasma volume for measuring exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).
The researchers found no association between exposure to PFCs and adiposity or markers of glycemic control in normal-weight children, according to data, but perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were tied to metabolic changes in overweight children.
A 10 ng/mL increase of PFOS among overweight children was associated with 16.2% higher insulin concentrations (95% CI, 5.2-28.3), 12% (95% CI, 2.4-22.4) higher beta-cell function, 17.6% (95% CI, 5.8-30.8) greater insulin resistance, and 8.6% (95% CI, 1.2-16.5) higher triglyceride concentrations.
Similarly, a 10 ng/mL increase of PFOA plasma was associated with 71.6% (95% CI, 2.4-187.5) higher insulin concentration, 67.5% (95% CI, 5.5-166) higher beta-cell function, 73.9% (95% CI, 0.2-202) higher insulin resistance, and 76.2% (95% CI, 22.8-153) higher triglyceride concentrations, according to data.
“Although the two types of PFCs we investigated are being phased out due to health concerns, the use of other types of PFCs is on the rise,” Timmermann said. “There is an ongoing need to determine how the entire class of chemicals is affecting children’s health.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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