Abuse during childhood may contribute to obesity in adulthood

ScienceDaily (July 2, 2012) — Investigators from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center report research findings that may shed light on influences on obesity during adulthood. Appearing in the journal Pediatrics, the study found an association of severity of sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adolescence with obesity during adulthood.

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The findings were based on the ongoing Black Women's Health Study, which has followed a large cohort of African-American women since 1995. Information provided in 2005 by more than 33,000 participants on early life experiences of abuse was assessed in relation to two measures of obesity: body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more as a measure of overall obesity and waist circumference greater than 35 inches as a measure of central obesity.

The risk of obesity in 2005 by either measure was estimated to be approximately 30 percent greater among women in the highest category of physical and sexual abuse than in women who reported no abuse. The association was dampened but not fully explained by allowance for reproductive history, diet, physical activity and depressive symptoms, which might have been intermediates between abuse and weight gain.

According to the researchers, the findings add to growing evidence that experiences during childhood may have long-term health consequences. "Abuse during childhood may adversely shape health behaviors and coping strategies, which could lead to greater weight gain in later life," explained Renee Boynton-Jarrett, MD, the lead investigator of the study and a pediatric primary care physician at Boston Medical Center. She also noted that metabolic and hormonal disruptions resulting from abuse could have that effect and that childhood abuse could be a marker for other adversities. "Ultimately, greater understanding of pathways between early life abuse and adult weight status may inform obesity prevention and treatment approaches." Boynton-Jarrett cautioned that further studies are needed to clarify just which factors are responsible for the association of abuse with obesity and noted there is a consensus that pediatric providers should screen for abuse.

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Pollutants may contribute to illness and becoming overweight

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) — Lack of physical activity and poor diet alone cannot explain the dramatic rise in obesity and diabetes occurring in many countries, believe some researchers. It is time to face the possibility that hazardous chemicals may also share part of the blame.

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The population of the Western world is increasingly falling prey to metabolic syndrome, which is the name for a group of risk factors -- such as overweight and insulin resistance -- that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes.

What can explain this sharp upsurge in the incidence of metabolic syndrome? Both genetics and environmental factors such as diet and physical exercise play a part, but researchers are still missing some key pieces to the puzzle.

"Many studies now indicate that persistent organic pollutants play a major role," says Jerome Ruzzin, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bergen.

From fatty foods

For several years, Dr Ruzzin has been receiving funding from the Research Council of Norway's Programme on Environmental Exposures and Health Outcomes (MILPAAHEL) to study the effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). He believes these substances have much more of a health impact than most people realize.

"Today's adults are the first generation to experience serious health problems from these substances. If we do not take this challenge seriously," he cautions, "there is every reason to be concerned about the coming generations as well."

POPs enter our bodies when we consume fatty foods such as dairy products, meat, and particularly fatty fish. One of Dr Ruzzin's research findings on mice is that eating salmon that contains high levels of POPs can lead to insulin resistance, one of the main causes of metabolic syndrome. Popping up everywhere

In two recent scientific articles, Dr Ruzzin has sounded the alarm about the harmful health effects of POPs.

"A great number of studies are now showing that people with high concentrations of POPs in their body are developing metabolic syndrome. We are talking about ordinary people who live in normal environments," stress Dr Ruzzin, "so this means that we are being exposed to far too high levels of POPs that may have a major impact on our health."

Typically, dietary changes are prescribed to treat metabolic syndrome. But according to Dr Ruzzin, too little is known about the effects of pollutants in specific foods to make any detailed health recommendations. This is why he believes we should waste no time in launching more studies that examine the combination of pollutants and nutrients in humans.

Dangerous cocktail effect

Studies have shown that POPs, even at concentrations below their danger level individually, can interact with other POPs or hazardous substances to cause serious consequences. This combined "cocktail effect" worries Dr Ruzzin.

"Current threshold values for pollutants are probably too high," says Dr Ruzzin, "which means that the regulatory framework needs changing. Food producers need to eliminate hazardous substances to a far greater extent than they do at present, and we consumers need more information about the kinds of chemicals we could be ingesting with their food products."

Deformed genitalia

Danish studies have shown that even small amounts of different chemicals found in everyday products can have a cocktail effect. Malformations of the sex organs are one possible consequence. Researcher Sofie Christiansen of the Technical University of Denmark is concerned.

"There is no doubt that the importance of interactions between different hormone-disrupting chemicals has been underestimated," she asserted in connection with a conference on environmentally hazardous substances co-hosted by the Research Council and the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency this January.

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