Early lead exposure and childhood adiposity in Mexico city.

Yun Liu, Karen E Peterson, Kathleen Montgomery, Brisa N Sánchez, Zhenzhen Zhang, Myriam C Afeiche, David E Cantonwine, Adrienne S Ettinger, Alejandra Cantoral, Lourdes Schnaas, Howard Hu, Martha M Teʹllez-Rojo

Journal: International journal of hygiene and environmental health 2020;222(6):965-970

PMID: 31257186

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Prenatal and early childhood lead exposures have been associated with reduced weight in infants and young children, while studies that have examined such associations in children during peripubescence are rare.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the associations of prenatal and early-life exposure to lead with indices of adiposity in peripubertal children living in Mexico City.

METHODS

Maternal bone lead (as a proxy for cumulative fetal exposure) was assessed at 1 month postpartum. Blood samples were obtained from children annually from 1 to 4 years. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between each lead biomarker and BMI z-score, waist circumference, sum of skinfolds and body fat percentage in 248 children aged 8-16 years.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, maternal patella lead was associated with lower child BMI z-score (β = -0.02, 95% CI: 0.03, -0.01, p = 0.004), waist circumference (β = -0.12 cm, 95% CI: 0.22, -0.03, p = 0.01), sum of skinfolds (β = -0.29 mm, 95% CI: 0.50, -0.08, p = 0.007) and body fat percentage (β = -0.09%, 95% CI: 0.17, -0.01, p = 0.03). No significant associations were detected from the postnatal exposure period.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a significant and inverse association of prenatal lead exposure with body composition in Mexican children, suggesting the potential role of early lead exposure in the fetal programming of child growth. Further research on the biological mechanisms underlying these associations is needed.

Address: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA(c) Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.; Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, US.; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, US.; Nestle' Research, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland.; Divison of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of OB/GYN, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Centro de Investigacion en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.; Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA USA.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.06.003

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MeSH Terms: Adiposity, Adolescent, Adult, Biological Monitoring, Child, Cities, Environmental Pollutants, Female, Humans, Lead, Male, Maternal Exposure, Maternal-Fetal Exchange, Mexico, Patella, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Tibia, Young Adult