Relationship between Prenatal or Postnatal Exposure to Pesticides and Obesity: A Systematic Review.

Helena Pinos, Beatriz Carrillo, Ana Merchán, Judit Biosca-Brull, Cristian Pérez-Fernández, María Teresa Colomina, Fernando Sánchez-Santed, Fernando Martín-Sánchez, Paloma Collado, Jorge L Arias, Nélida M Conejo

Journal: International journal of environmental research and public health 2021;18(13):7170

PMID: 34281107

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Plain Language Summary

Obesity is a multifactorial disease with biological, psychosocial, and behavioural factors that include genetic, socioeconomic, and cultural influences. Exposure to pesticides can result in weight gain through different pathways. The aim of this study was to assess a possible association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to pesticides and obesity in offspring from human and animal studies. This study is a systematic review of 9 animal studies and 25 human studies (23 cohorts and 2 crossover experimental designs). Results show that there is still scarce evidence to support a clear relationship between exposure to pesticides and obesity in humans and experimental animals. In fact, the effects of pesticide exposure on body weight change are mostly inconclusive and report conflicting results. Authors conclude that further research is required to improve understanding of whether repeated exposures over time or just short-term exposures to pesticides during critical windows of development are related to obesity.

Abstract

In recent years, the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults and children has dramatically increased. The conventional model regarding the onset of obesity is based on an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. However, other possible environmental factors involved, such as the exposure to chemicals like pesticides, cannot be discarded. These compounds could act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) that may interfere with hormone activity related to several mechanisms involved in body weight control. The main objective of this study was to systematically review the data provided in the scientific literature for a possible association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to pesticides and obesity in offspring. A total of 25 human and 9 animal studies were analyzed. The prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal exposure to organophosphate, organochlorine, pyrethroid, neonicotinoid, and carbamate, as well as a combined pesticide exposure was reviewed. This systematic review reveals that the effects of pesticide exposure on body weight are mostly inconclusive, finding conflicting results in both humans and experimental animals. The outcomes reviewed are dependent on many factors, including dosage and route of administration, species, sex, and treatment duration. More research is needed to effectively evaluate the impact of the combined effects of different pesticides on human health.

Address: Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, National Distance Education University (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain.; Joint Research Institute-UNED-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (IMIENS), 28029 Madrid, Spain.; Department of Psychology and Health Research Center (CEINSA), Almeria University, 04120 Almeria, Spain.; Research in Neurobehavior and Health (NEUROLAB), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.; Department of Psychology and Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.; National School of Public Health, Institute of Health Carlos III, University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), 28029 Madrid, Spain.; Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain.; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain.

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137170