Early-life exposure to EDC mixtures may reprogram metabolic and inflammatory pathways, predisposing children to obesity that persists into adolescence, with prenatal metal and organochlorine pesticide mixtures associated with higher BMI z-scores and 47-48% higher odds of overweight.
Key Findings
Results
Prenatal metal mixtures were associated with higher BMI z-scores in both childhood and adolescence and with increased odds of overweight.
Study analyzed 1301 mother-child pairs from six European cohorts in the HELIX project
Prenatal metal mixture exposure was associated with 47-48% higher odds of overweight in childhood and adolescence
BMI z-scores were measured as outcomes in childhood (6-11 years) and adolescence (12-18 years)
Analysis used penalized Lasso-type Bayesian Weighted Quantile Sum Regression to assess mixture effects
Results
Prenatal organochlorine pesticide mixtures were associated with higher BMI z-scores in childhood and adolescence and higher odds of overweight.
Organochlorine pesticides were among nine chemical classes measured across 45 EDCs in maternal and child biospecimens
Associations were observed for both childhood (6-11 years) and adolescent (12-18 years) BMI z-scores
Odds of overweight were 47-48% higher in association with prenatal organochlorine pesticide mixture exposure
Exposures were measured in maternal biospecimens during pregnancy
Results
Prenatal PFAS exposure was associated with higher body-fat percentage in both childhood and adolescence.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were among the nine chemical classes assessed
The association was observed for body-fat percentage specifically, not solely BMI z-scores
The association persisted across both measurement time points: childhood (6-11 years) and adolescence (12-18 years)
Prenatal PFAS exposure was measured in maternal biospecimens
Results
Childhood phenol and high-molecular-weight phthalate exposures were associated with higher adolescent BMI z-scores.
Exposures were measured in child biospecimens during childhood (6-11 years)
The outcome was BMI z-score measured in adolescence (12-18 years), suggesting a delayed or cumulative effect
Phenols and high-molecular-weight phthalates were among nine chemical classes assessed
45 EDCs across nine chemical classes were measured in total in child biospecimens
Results
Childhood parabens and persistent compounds showed inverse associations with adiposity measures.
Parabens and persistent compounds were measured in child biospecimens
Inverse associations contrast with the positive associations seen for metals, phenols, and phthalates
These findings were reported alongside the positive associations for other chemical classes in the same mixture analysis framework
The direction of association varied by chemical class, suggesting class-specific effects
Results
Childhood metal exposures were associated with higher body-fat percentage and higher odds of overweight.
Metal exposures were measured in child biospecimens during childhood (6-11 years)
Associations were found for both body-fat percentage and overweight odds
Both prenatal and childhood metal exposures were independently associated with adiposity outcomes
Adiposity outcomes included BMI z-scores, waist circumference, and body fat percentage
Results
An inflammatory-metabolic protein pattern mediated approximately 30% of the association between prenatal metal exposure and adolescent BMI z-scores.
36 plasma proteins were quantified in childhood using targeted proteomic panels
A signed iterative random forest was used to identify interactions, and mediation analyses were applied for biological pathways
The mediating protein pattern was characterized as 'inflammatory-metabolic'
Mediation accounted for approximately 30% of the prenatal metal-adolescent zBMI association, providing mechanistic evidence
Methods
The study assessed 45 EDCs across nine chemical classes using prenatal and childhood biospecimens from 1301 mother-child pairs across six European cohorts.
Data came from the Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) project
Chemical classes included metals, organochlorine pesticides, PFAS, phenols, phthalates (including high-molecular-weight), and parabens among others
Both prenatal (maternal biospecimens) and childhood (child biospecimens) exposure windows were assessed
The multi-country European design spanned six cohorts, increasing generalizability across populations
What This Means
This research suggests that children exposed to mixtures of hormone-disrupting chemicals — both before birth and during early childhood — are more likely to have higher levels of body fat and obesity-related measures that persist into their teenage years. The study followed over 1,300 European mother-child pairs and measured 45 different chemicals in blood and urine samples taken during pregnancy and childhood. Chemicals including metals, certain pesticides, PFAS ('forever chemicals'), and plasticizers were linked to increased BMI, body fat percentage, and odds of being overweight, with effects visible as late as adolescence (ages 12-18).
One of the study's notable findings is that certain protein patterns in the blood — specifically ones related to inflammation and metabolism — appear to partially explain how prenatal metal exposure leads to higher BMI in teenagers. This accounts for about 30% of that relationship, offering a biological mechanism linking chemical exposure to weight gain. Interestingly, not all chemicals pointed in the same direction: childhood exposure to parabens and persistent organic compounds was associated with lower adiposity measures, highlighting that effects differ by chemical type.
This research suggests that real-world exposures to chemical mixtures during critical windows of development — pregnancy and early childhood — may alter how the body's hormonal and metabolic systems work, potentially contributing to the global childhood obesity crisis. The findings point to a need for regulatory policies that reduce children's and pregnant women's exposure to these widespread environmental chemicals, particularly metals, certain pesticides, and PFAS.
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Güil-Oumrait N, Midya V, India-Aldana S, Anguita-Ruiz A, Maitre L, Bustamante M, et al.. (2026). Prenatal and childhood exposure to mixtures of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in association with measures of adiposity in childhood and adolescence.. Environment international. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110495