Grandmaternal perinatal serum polychlorinated biphenyls and prevalence of obesity in adult daughters and granddaughters

Abstract

Objective

We investigated in utero exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 138, PCB 153, and PCB 180 and obesity at reproductive age in a three-generation human cohort, i.e., the Child Health and Development Studies.

Methods

We used logistic models to estimate associations of PCBs in grandmothers' (F0) archived perinatal serum with obesity in daughters (F1) at age 30 years and granddaughters (F2) at age 26 years, accounting for family clustering (n = 258 triads). In order to reflect mixture exposures, we modeled PCBs as a ratio of the sum of PCB 138 + PCB 180 to PCB 153 (i.e., “PCB ratio”).

Results

An increase in the PCB ratio from the first to the third tertile corresponded to a 1.73 (95% CI: 1.06–2.82) increase in the odds of F1 obesity and a 1.96 (95% CI: 1.12–3.42) increase in the odds of F2 obesity. The association with F2 obesity differed by F0 BMI (p value for interaction = 0.08). F1 obesity was also associated with F2 obesity (odds ratio, 4.12, 95% CI: 1.95–8.72).

Conclusions

Grandmothers' perinatal serum levels of mixtures of PCBs may have triggered a multigenerational cycle of obesity in daughters and granddaughters. Resultant obesity among women of reproductive age could further perpetuate obesity in subsequent generations.