Pre‐ and postnatal exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and body composition at 12 years: periods of susceptibility

Abstract

ObjectiveThe study aimed to identify periods of heightened susceptibility to the effects of pre‐ and postnatal secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure on body composition at age 12 years.MethodsThe study used data from 217 children from the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a prospective cohort in Cincinnati, Ohio. Using multiple informant models, the study estimated associations of maternal serum cotinine (16 and 26 weeks of pregnancy) and child serum cotinine concentrations (at age 12, 24, 36, and 48 months) with measures of body composition obtained with anthropometry and dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry at 12 years. We examined whether there were differences between these associations for pre‐ and postnatal exposure periods and potential effect measure modification by sex.ResultsPostnatal cotinine concentrations were associated with higher weight, BMI, body fat and lean mass, waist circumference, and visceral, android, and gynoid fat. Each 10‐fold increase in postnatal cotinine was associated with 76% increased risk of overweight or obesity (95% CI: 1.13‐2.75). Associations between prenatal concentrations and measures of body composition at 12 years were generally null.ConclusionsPostnatal exposure to SHS may increase adolescent adiposity and lean mass. Future studies should determine whether early‐life exposures to SHS are associated with other cardiometabolic risk markers.

Early life exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and eating behaviors at age 12 years

“…Evidence suggests maternal behaviors, such as poor nutrition and exposure to chemicals in SHS, can lead to intrauterine growth restriction and, thus, poor CM health in children and adolescents [8,9], consistent with what we observed in our cohort of 12-year-old adolescents from the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study [6,7]. In 2022, we found that postnatal SHS exposure was related to higher adiposity and CM risk and that the exposure time window and sex modify the strength of associations [6,7]. Some chemicals found in SHS, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrosamine 4 (methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, can cross the placenta and directly impact hypothalamic neuropeptides and amygdala volume, which play a role in emotional regulation and reward reactivity [10,11].…”

“…Prenatal and early postnatal exposure to SHS can negatively affect the neuroendocrine system in adolescence or adulthood in both females and males, which may increase food preferences for fats and the risk of developing obesity [7,27,28]. Studies in rodents have suggested that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy or lactation may cause hormonal dysfunction in offspring and alterations in their hypothalamic circuitry involved in appetite control; this may affect the expression patterns of neuropeptides released by leptin-regulated anorexigenic or orexigenic neurons and cause sustained activation of glial cells (such as astrocytes and microglia), which may lead to hypothalamic inflammation [28].…”

“…Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) is a risk factor for the development of obesity and CM disorders during adolescence [6,7]. Evidence suggests maternal behaviors, such as poor nutrition and exposure to chemicals in SHS, can lead to intrauterine growth restriction and, thus, poor CM health in children and adolescents [8,9], consistent with what we observed in our cohort of 12-year-old adolescents from the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study [6,7]. In 2022, we found that postnatal SHS exposure was related to higher adiposity and CM risk and that the exposure time window and sex modify the strength of associations [6,7].…”

“…This study examined the association of prenatal and early childhood serum cotinine concentrations with adolescent's eating behaviors among the HOME Study participants. Based on prior findings from the HOME Study [6,7], which emphasized the greater impact of postnatal SHS exposure on adolescents' health outcomes compared to prenatal exposure, with a stronger association observed in girls than in boys, we hypothesized that: (1) Higher serum cotinine concentrations would be associated with greater food approaching behaviors (i.e., food responsiveness and emotional overeating) and lower food avoidance behaviors (i.e., satiety responsiveness and emotional undereating); (2) Associations between serum cotinine and eating behaviors are stronger during the postnatal period, compared to the prenatal period; and (3) Associations between serum cotinine and eating behaviors are stronger in female adolescents than in males.…”

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“…This discrepancy may be attributed in part to age-dependent variations in the effects of nicotine on body weight. According to the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study, 34 postnatal cotinine levels were associated with higher BMI. In contrast, findings from the National Health and NHANES showed the relationship between BMI at the time of smoking and daily cigarette use with weight changes post-cessation.…”