Air Pollution Exposure Changes May Lead to Childhood Obesity

Can changes in exposure to air pollution cause obesity among children? Yes, an increase in outdoor air pollution may be associated with weight gain in children.

Relocating to areas with higher levels of air pollution caused weight gain in young children and paved the way for childhood obesity. This was found in a large natural experiment led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Catalonia.

Overweight and obesity in children result from the interaction of genes, lifestyle behaviors, and physiological and social factors. Environmental exposures such as air pollution may also play a role. However, it is not yet clear whether there is an association between air pollution and childhood obesity ().

Air Pollution - Pollutants - Health Effect - Efforts to Reduce
Nearly 2.4 million deaths every year are attributable to air pollution. Air pollutants may be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases. Proper planning methods should be adopted to reduce air pollution.

‘Changes in air pollution exposure due to residential relocation were associated with increased body mass index (BMI) in children. #BodyMassIndex #ChildhoodObesity #AirPollution’

A good way to investigate whether the two are linked is to see what happens when a child is suddenly exposed to higher or lower levels of air pollution as a result of moving to a different home address. This is what they called a natural experiment.

In this study, researchers assessed whether changes in air pollution exposure due to residential relocation were associated with changes in body mass index (BMI). The study included 46,644 children and adolescents (aged 2 to 17) who moved once between 2011 and 2018 and were registered in the primary healthcare in Catalonia.

They estimated the annual levels of NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 particulate matter in each participant’s home area, before and after moving. Weight and height were routinely measured at the primary care centers and were used to calculate BMI before and 180 days or more after the move.

Weight Gained Among Children After Moving to More Polluted Area

The analysis shows that moving to areas with more air pollution was associated with a small increase in BMI. This was true for all pollutants, and the effect was stronger in preschool- and primary school children. In contrast, moving to less polluted areas had no significant effect on BMI ().

Link Between Mother�s Unhealthy Diet Before Pregnancy and Childhood Obesity
Children born to mothers who follow a healthy diet pattern are at lower risk of developing obesity.

Curiously, moving to areas with similar levels of air pollution was associated with decreases in BMI. This could be because these areas are more walkable or have more play areas for children.

The biological mechanisms that link air pollution to weight gain are not fully understood but may include oxidative stress, inflammation of adipose tissue, reduced glucose uptake, hormonal disruption, changes in metabolism, or reduced lung function.

Lifestyle Interventions to Prevent Future Heart Disease in Obese Children
How to stop heart disease risk in obese children? Practicing regular exercise and a healthy diet from childhood can prevent obesity-related damage to the arteries and heart.

More traffic may also lead to changes in behavior such as going less outdoors, which may increase weight. Since the study relied on available data registered in primary healthcare centers in Catalonia, the researchers were not able to include these behavioral changes in their analysis.

However, the data collected routinely by primary healthcare professionals allowed us to perform a very large natural experiment on a very large number of children and adolescents. This type of study could be replicated in the future to study the impact of the environment on other health problems.

Every Bite Counts: Nurturing Healthy Habits in the First 24 Months of Life
Uncover the significance of monitoring diet in early life for lifelong health. Explore the impact of every bite and the innovative solution of bite-counting technology.

These findings published in the journal Environmental Pollution also provide further evidence for reducing air pollution levels, in addition to other community interventions, to prevent childhood obesity and overweight.

References:

Impact of ambient air pollution on obesity: a systematic review - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-018-0089-y)
Changes in air pollution exposure after residential relocation and body mass index in children and adolescents: A natural experiment study - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123012198?via%3Dihub)

Source-Eurekalert