In Utero DDT Exposure and Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Children of Farmworkers

摘要

Background: In utero exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been hypothesized to increase risk of obesity later in life. Aims: The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study is a longitudinal birth cohort of low-income Latinas living in a California agricultural community. We examined the relation of in utero DDT exposure to obesity and metabolic syndrome at 9 years. Methods: We included 261 children with p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE concentrations measured in maternal serum collected during pregnancy (ng/g lipid) and complete 9-year follow-up data. Age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) Z-scores were calculated from WHO Child Growth Standards. Overweight/obese was defined as BMI Z-score ≥85th percentile for age and sex. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria for children ＜10 years, waist circumference ≥90th percentile for age and sex. Results: At 9 years, average BMI Z-score was 1.10 (±1.08), 56.3% of children were overweight or obese, and 42.2% had metabolic syndrome. In boys, a 10-fold increase in maternal serum p,p'-DDT was associated with BMI Z-score (adj-β=0.27, 95% CI 0.08, 0.46) and overweight/ obese status (adj-OR=2.3, 95% CI 1.1, 4.6), but not metabolic syndrome (adj-OR=1.7, 95% CI 0.98, 2.8). Also among boys, a 10-fold increase in maternal serum p,p'-DDE was associated with overweight/obese status (adj-OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.0, 4.3), but not with BMI Z-score (adj-β=0.22, 95% CI -0.03, 0.48) or metabolic syndrome (adj-OR=1.5, 95% CI 0.7, 2.9). Neither DDT nor DDE were related to any of the outcomes in girls. Conclusion: We found a significant positive relation between in utero DDT exposure and BMI Z-score and overweight/obese status of 9-year-old CHAMACOS boys. Continued follow-up through puberty will be informative.