%0 Journal Article
%T Environmental Phenols and Growth in Infancy: The Infant Feeding and Early Development Study.
%A Stevens DR
%A Goldberg M
%A Adgent M
%A Chin HB
%A Baird DD
%A Stallings VA
%A Sandler DP
%A Calafat AM
%A Ford EG
%A Zemel BS
%A Kelly A
%A Umbach DM
%A Rogan W
%A Ferguson KK
%J J Clin Endocrinol Metab
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 May 16
%M 38753668
%F 6.134
%R 10.1210/clinem/dgae307
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Higher mean and rapid increases in body mass index (BMI) during infancy are associated with subsequent obesity and may be influenced by exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phenols.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>In a prospective US-based cohort conducted 2010-2014, we investigated associations between environmental phenol exposures and BMI in 199 infants.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We measured seven urinary phenols at ages 6-8 and 12 weeks and assessed BMI z-score at up to 12 study visits between birth and 36 weeks. We examined individual and joint associations of averaged early infancy phenols with level of BMI z-score using mean differences (β [95% confidence intervals (CI)]) and with BMI z-score trajectories using relative risk ratios (RR [95% CI]).<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Benzophenone-3, methyl and propyl paraben, and all phenols jointly were positively associated with higher mean BMI z-score (0.07 [-0.05, 0.18], 0.10 [-0.08, 0.27], 0.08 [-0.09, 0.25], 0.17 [-0.08, 0.43], respectively). Relative to a Stable trajectory, benzophenone-3, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,5-dichlorophenol, and all phenols jointly were positively associated with risk of a Rapid Increase trajectory (1.46 [0.89, 2.39], 1.33 [0.88, 2.01], 1.66 [1.03, 2.68], 1.41 [0.71, 2.84], respectively).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Early phenol exposure was associated with a higher mean and rapid increase in BMI z-score across infancy, signaling potential long-term cardiometabolic consequences of exposure.