Connection between PFAS exposure and overweight

A new study finds that an increased PFAS content in blood promotes increases body weight and especially added difficulty in maintaining a lower body weight after weight loss. Under the leadership of Philippe Grandjean, MD, professor of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, a group of scientists examined blood samples from 381 adults who participated in a clinical trial supported by the European Commission. They found that adults with an elevated concentration of a common PFAS called PFOA in their blood put on weight no matter which diet that they followed in the clinical trial. PFAS are often found in contaminated drinking water and foods. Previously found in children. The study showed that participants with the highest amounts of PFOA in the blood after a follow-up lasting up to one year had the greatest difficulty in keeping a lower body weight, in fact, they had gained an average of about ten pounds during the 52 weeks, as compared with those with the lowest exposure. We have previously shown that children with elevated PFAS in the blood have a tendency of gaining weight and developing higher cholesterol levels in the blood, says Philippe Grandjean who has studied PFAS toxicity in humans, including children in various countries during the last 15 years.