THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE FOOD CHAIN: CHEMICAL COMPOUND LINKED TO CHILDHOOD WEIGHT GAIN

By René A. Azeez, Honours BSc. Developmental Biology, University of Toronto. April 10, 2011.

It is often the case in the study of human biology that the more answers provided by research, the more questions arise. The increase in the prevalence of obesity in the general population may have yet another element to consider as Spanish researchers have now been able to show that rapid weight gain and elevated obesity percentages occurring in infancy is in fact linked to the prenatal exposure of the pregnant woman to a chemical compound known as DDE (dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene). It follows that a higher body mass index (BMI) in infancy increases the likelihood of obesity and metabolic diseases later on in life.

The team lead by Dr. Michelle A. Mendez was particularly interested in exploring the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds such as DDE, a byproduct of the infamous pesticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane). The results, published in the Journal Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that from a total of 657 women in early pregnancy, DDE exposure in the first trimester doubled the risk of rapid weight gain in infants of normal weight mothers. Moreover, there was also a correlation with DDE exposure and an elevated BMI later on in infancy.

           Obesity is known to result in illness in many areas of medicine including cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology, oncology, psychiatry, and endocrinology, to name a few. Although it has long been known that increased risk of obesity may well be established early in life, the factors surrounding this have been uncertain. It follows that wholly and solely blaming increased consumption of energy-dense foods and declining physical activity for the increased incidence of obesity is a misleading stance to take. A greater understanding of the mechanism of obesity will go a long way to reducing the stigma with which it finds itself surrounded.

Whether or not DDE’s role is causative in nature or part of a mechanism which enables increased infancy weight gain is unknown but it is at the very least cause for concern and further investigation. DDE is soluble in fat and known to accumulate in the fish and meat supply as a result.  The unfortunate fact is that the ban of DDT usage did not globally eradicate its use immediately and its appearance in the food chain, and therefore the appearance of its byproduct DDE, is still very much unpredictable.

References: 
Michelle A. Mendez, Raquel Garcia-Esteban, Monica Guxens, Martine Vrijheid, Manolis Kogevinas, Fernando Goni, Silvia Fuchs, Jordi Sunyer. "Prenatal Exposure Compound organochlorines, Rapid Weight Gain, and Overweight in Infancy." Environmental Health Perspectives , vol. 119, no. 2, February 2011.