ArticleEnvironmental research2023
Prenatal exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and epigenetic aging in umbilical cord blood: The Healthy Start study.
Article in Environmental research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Chemical and climatic environmental exposures and epigenetic aging: A systematic review.Environmental research · 2025Pooled it
- Review
- Associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), DNA methylation and gene expression from background exposed Norwegian women (2003-2006).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prenatal PFAS exposure and offspring health: evidence review and implications for intergenerational risk assessment.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Sex-specific associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and epigenetic age: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey 1999-2000.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Epigenetic Consequences of In Utero PFAS Exposure: Implications for Development and Long-Term Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Review
- Sex-specific effects of in utero exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on placental development.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Maternal Nutrition, Toxicants, and Epigenetic Programming of Obesity Across Generations.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Review
- Epigenetic Clock at Birth and Childhood Blood Pressure Trajectory: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study.Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) · 2024Article
- Prenatal Maternal Occupation and Child Epigenetic Age Acceleration in an Agricultural Region: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Impact of Environmental Exposures on Human Breast Milk Lipidome in Future Immune-Mediated Diseases.Environmental science & technology · 2024Article
- Pathological epigenetic events and reversibility review: the intersection between hallmarks of aging and developmental origin of health and disease.Epigenomics · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous, environmentally persistent chemicals, and prenatal exposures have been associated with adverse child health outcomes. Prenatal PFAS exposure may lead to epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), defined as the discrepancy between an individual's chronologic and epigenetic or biological age.
objectivesWe estimated associations of maternal serum PFAS concentrations with EAA in umbilical cord blood DNA methylation using linear regression, and a multivariable exposure-response function of the PFAS mixture using Bayesian kernel machine regression.
methodsFive PFAS were quantified in maternal serum (median: 27 weeks of gestation) among 577 mother-infant dyads from a prospective cohort. Cord blood DNA methylation data were assessed with the Illumina HumanMethylation450 array. EAA was calculated as the residuals from regressing gestational age on epigenetic age, calculated using a cord-blood specific epigenetic clock. Linear regression tested for associations between each maternal PFAS concentration with EAA. Bayesian kernel machine regression with hierarchical selection estimated an exposure-response function for the PFAS mixture.
resultsIn single pollutant models we observed an inverse relationship between perfluorodecanoate (PFDA) and EAA (-0.148 weeks per log-unit increase, 95% CI: -0.283, -0.013). Mixture analysis with hierarchical selection between perfluoroalkyl carboxylates and sulfonates indicated the carboxylates had the highest group posterior inclusion probability (PIP), or relative importance. Within this group, PFDA had the highest conditional PIP. Univariate predictor-response functions indicated PFDA and perfluorononanoate were inversely associated with EAA, while perfluorohexane sulfonate had a positive association with EAA.
conclusionsMaternal mid-pregnancy serum concentrations of PFDA were negatively associated with EAA in cord blood, suggesting a pathway by which prenatal PFAS exposures may affect infant development. No significant associations were observed with other PFAS. Mixture models suggested opposite directions of association between perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and carboxylates. Future studies are needed to determine the importance of neonatal EAA for later child health outcomes.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.