Evidence mapPaperPMID 37580798Full record

SynthesisEnvironmental health : a global access science source2023

Prenatal and childhood exposure to per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and its associations with childhood overweight and/or obesity: a systematic review with meta-analyses.

Gianfranco Frigerio, Chiara Matilde Ferrari, Silvia Fustinoni

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.1field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Transfer Learning Prediction of Early Exposures and Genetic Risk Score on Adult Obesity in Two Minority Cohorts.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2025
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Gianfranco FrigerioEnvironmental Cheminformatics, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval | House of Biomedicine II, 6 Avenue du Swing, L-4367, Belvaux, Luxembourg. gianfranco.frigerio@uni.lu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3538-1443
Chiara Matilde FerrariDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
Silvia FustinoniDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
University of Milan · ITUniversity of Luxembourg · LU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPer-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent organic pollutants and suspected endocrine disruptors.

objectiveThe aim of this work was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to summarise the associations between prenatal or childhood exposure to PFASs and childhood overweight/obesity.

methodsThe search was performed on the bibliographic databases PubMed and Embase with text strings containing terms related to prenatal, breastfeeding, childhood, overweight, obesity, and PFASs. Only papers describing a biomonitoring study in pregnant women or in children up to 18 years that assessed body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), or fat mass in children were included. When the estimates of the association between a PFAS and an outcome were reported from at least 3 studies, a meta-analysis was conducted; moreover, to correctly compare the studies, we developed a method to convert the different effect estimates and made them comparable each other. Meta-analyses were performed also stratifying by sex and age, and sensitivity analyses were also performed.

resultsIn total, 484 and 779 articles were retrieved from PubMed and Embase, respectively, resulting in a total of 826 articles after merging duplicates. The papers included in this systematic review were 49: 26 evaluating prenatal exposure to PFASs, 17 childhood exposure, and 6 both. Considering a qualitative evaluation, results were conflicting, with positive, negative, and null associations. 30 papers were included in meta-analyses (19 prenatal, 7 children, and 4 both). Positive associations were evidenced between prenatal PFNA and BMI, between PFOA and BMI in children who were more than 3 years, and between prenatal PFNA and WC. Negative associations were found between prenatal PFOS and BMI in children who were 3 or less years, and between PFHxS and risk of overweight. Relatively more consistent negative associations were evidenced between childhood exposure to three PFASs (PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA) and BMI, in particular PFOS in boys. However, heterogeneity among studies was high.

conclusionEven though heterogeneous across studies, the pooled evidence suggests possible associations, mostly positive, between prenatal exposure to some PFASs and childhood BMI/WC; and relatively stronger evidence for negative associations between childhood exposure to PFASs and childhood BMI.

Indexed as

Alkanesulfonic AcidsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsPediatric ObesityPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsChildFemaleHumansMaleOverweightPregnancyAlkanesulfonic AcidsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsChildhood adiposityEarly life exposureEffect estimate conversionFetal exposurePaediatric exposurePerfluoroalkyl substances

Identifiers

PMID37580798
PMCPMC10424367
OpenAlexW4385807574

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.