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Cited by 47Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicalsBirth, Development, and HealthToxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Association between gestational urinary bisphenol a concentrations and adiposity in young children: The MIREC study

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Braun, Joseph M., Li, Nan, Arbuckle, Tye E., Dodds, Linda, Massarelli, Isabelle, Fraser, William D., Lanphear, Bruce P., Muckle, Gina·2019·Environmental Research
DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2019.02.038PMC PMC6511302
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Abstract

Background Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical and because of its use in many consumer products, exposure is ubiquitous. Gestational BPA exposure has been associated with excess adiposity in rodent studies, but not consistently in human studies. We investigated the relation between gestational BPA exposure and early childhood adiposity in a prospective cohort study of 719 mother-child pairs. Methods We used data from the MIREC Study, a prospective Pan-Canadian pregnancy and birth cohort study. We measured BPA in urine samples collected at an average of 12.1 weeks (range: 6.3-15 weeks) gestation and measured children's weight, height, waist/hip circumference, and subscapular/triceps skinfold thickness at an average age of 3.5 years (range: 1.9-6.2). We estimated covariate-adjusted associations of log 2-transformed BPA concentrations with child adiposity measures and examined whether these associations differed in boys and girls. Results Median BPA concentrations were 0.8 ng/mL (IQR: 0.5-1.4). Among both boys and girls, each 2-fold increase in BPA concentrations was associated with higher waist-to-hip ratio (β: 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005). The association of BPA with waist circumference and subscapular skinfold thickness was modified by sex (sex x BPA interaction p-values<0.2). In girls, each 2-fold increase in BPA concentrations was associated with a 0.2 cm (95% CI: 0.0, 0.5) and 0.15 mm (95% CI: 0.01, 0.30) increase in waist circumference and subscapular skinfolds, respectively. Associations were generally null or slightly inverse in boys. Conclusions In this cohort, gestational urinary BPA concentrations were associated with subtle increases in girl's central adiposity during early childhood.

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  • In humans, maternal urinary BPA is associated with increased hip-to-waist ratios in the offspring, an effect that is more severe in females.

    “In humans, maternal urinary BPA has been associated with increased hip to waist ratios in the offspring, an affect that was more severe in females [109].”

    From Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk (2021) · cites this paper as [109]

    The Results report an increase in waist-to-hip ratio, not hip-to-waist ratio; reversing the ratio reverses the direction of the association. The reported sex differences primarily concern waist circumference and skinfold thickness, rather than a demonstrated stronger ratio association in girls. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Braun, J. M., Li, N., Arbuckle, T. E., Dodds, L., Massarelli, I., Fraser, W. D., Lanphear, B. P., & Muckle, G.
Affiliations
  • Brown University (US)
  • Health Canada (CA)
  • Dalhousie University (CA)
  • Université de Sherbrooke (CA)
  • Simon Fraser University (CA)
  • Université Laval (CA)
Corresponding author
Braun, Joseph M.
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-05
Volume
172
Pages
454-461
ISSN
0013-9351 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.envres.2019.02.038
PMC
PMC6511302
OpenAlex
W2917089897
Cited by
47
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3
FWCI
2.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Research (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Federal Open Science Repository of Canada / Le Dépôt fédéral de science ouverte du Canada (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP - 81285)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01 ES024381, R01 ES025214)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
Keywords
bisphenol A, prenatal exposure, urinary BPA, childhood adiposity, abdominal obesity, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, skinfold thickness, sex differences, endocrine disruptors
MeSH terms
Dietary Exposure, Bisphenol A Compounds, Benzhydryl Compounds, Canada, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Male, Phenols, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, Cohort Studies, Maternal Exposure, Adiposity

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