When it comes to advice for mothers expecting babies, the focus is usually on eating right, being active and taking care of their mental health. These steps help give babies a healthy start in life, but research shows that chemicals in everyday products can also impact a child's health.
Ling-Wei Chen, an Adjunct Research Scientist at A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), previously known as the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), explained that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—found in everything from cookware to carpets—may pose adverse health effects. “PFAS constitute a large family of man-made chemicals that persist for a long time in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies,” said Chen.
While legacy PFAS are being phased out globally, newer, supposedly safer replacements, including shorter-chain PFAS, remain less regulated. Monitoring exposure to these chemicals is crucial, Chen noted.
The Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort, a longitudinal study that began in 2009, follows mothers and their children from early pregnancy through childhood, collecting extensive data on environmental exposures and health outcomes.
Shiao-Yng Chan, Deputy Executive Director at SICS and senior author of this publication explained, “This rich dataset enables researchers to investigate the impact of the mothers’ exposure to a wide range of environmental factors such as PFAS, on their children’s health. Our work is important to help shape public health policies for improved health outcomes for the present and future generations.”
The team was part of a multinational collaboration involving local clinicians and researchers from the National University of Singapore and international partners from Taiwan and the UK. They explored whether PFAS exposure before birth might affect the size and body fat of newborns and young children.
“Our study is novel in its comprehensive examination of various PFAS chemicals within an underrepresented Asian population in present literature. Another significant strength is the assessment of multiple different measures of body composition in the children,” said Chen.
The researchers measured 12 different PFAS compounds in 783 cord blood samples from the GUSTO cohort. Advanced techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed fat quantity and distribution in children at birth and age six.
The researchers used two analytical approaches: examining each PFAS chemical individually to trace its origins and grouping the chemicals by their structure to identify patterns. Their study found that babies exposed to newer short-chain PFAS before birth had more belly fat when they were born, but this extra fat didn't persist as they grew older.
“Excessive accumulation of abdominal fat has implications for early-life metabolic health. Increased abdominal fat is associated with a higher risk of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes later in life. Our work so far suggests that by age six the effects appeared to have diminished; however, it remains unclear if unwanted health issues could still emerge later on,” explained Chan, adding that this prompts further research into the health effects of PFAS, especially newer variants.
The team plans to continue their study of the main ways pregnant women are exposed to PFAS and the long-term health trajectories of their children.
The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP).
