Changes in plasma concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances after bariatric surgery in adolescents from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) study

Authors: BAUMERT, BRITTNEY - University Of Southern California; ECKEL, SANDRAH - University Of Southern California; GOODRICH, JESSE - University Of Southern California; LI, ZHENJIANG - University Of Southern California; STRATAKIS, NIKOS - University Of Southern California; WALKER, DOUGLAS - Barcelona Institute For Global Health, Isglobal; ZHAO, YINQI - Rollins School Of Public Health; FISCHER, FABIAN - University Of Southern California; BARTELL, SCOTT - University Of Rhode Island; VALVI, DAMASKINI - University Of California Irvine; LIN, XIANGPING - The Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai; FUENTES, ZOE - The Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai; INGE, THOMAS - The Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai; RYDER, JUSTIN - Northwestern University; JENKINS, TODD - Northwestern University; KOHLI, ROHIT - University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine; SISLEY, STEPHANIE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); XANTHAKOS, STAVRA - Baylor College Of Medicine; ROCK, SARAH - University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine; LA MERRILL, MICHELE - University Of Southern California; MCCONNELL, ROB - University Of California, Davis; CONTI, DAVID - University Of Southern California; CHATZI, LIDA - University Of Southern California

Submitted to: Science of the Total Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/2024
Publication Date: 4/27/2024
Citation: Baumert, B.O., Eckel, S.P., Goodrich, J.A., Li, Z., Stratakis, N., Walker, D.I., Zhao, Y., Fischer, F.C., Bartell, S., Valvi, D., Lin, X., Fuentes, Z.C., Inge, T., Ryder, J., Jenkins, T., Kohli, R., Sisley, S., Xanthakos, S., Rock, S., La Merrill, M.A., McConnell, R., Conti, D.V., Chatzi, L. 2024. Changes in plasma concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances after bariatric surgery in adolescents from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) study. Science of the Total Environment. 930. Article 172840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172840.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172840

Interpretive Summary: PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are everywhere in our environment and can stay in our bodies for a long time. Although PFAS have been linked to weight gain, it was unknown if weight loss surgery affects the amount of PFAS in teenagers' blood. Researchers in Houston, Texas studied 214 teens who had weight loss surgery. At first, the amount of PFAS in their blood stayed the same or went up a little. But after 6 months, the amount of PFAS declined for up to 3 years. This is important because PFAS can cause health problems, and lowering them might help explain why people get healthier after weight loss surgery.

Technical Abstract: Exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous due to their persistence in the environment and in humans. Extreme weight loss has been shown to influence concentrations of circulating persistent organic pollutants(POPs). Using data from the multi-center perspective Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort, we investigated changes in plasma-PFAS in adolescents after bariatric surgery. Adolescents (Mean age = 17.1 years, SD = 1.5 years) undergoing bariatric surgery were enrolled in the Teen-LABS study. Plasma-PFAS were measured at the time of surgery and then 6-, 12-, and 36 months post-surgery. Linear mixed effect models were used to evaluate longitudinal changes in plasma-PFAS after the time of bariatric surgery. This study included 214 adolescents with severe obesity who had available longitudinal measures of plasma-PFAS and underwent bariatric surgery between 2007 and 2012. Underlying effects related to undergoing bariatric surgery were found to be associated with an initial increase or plateau in concentrations of circulating PFAS up to 6 months after surgery followed by a persistent decline in concentrations of 36 months (p < 0.001 for all plasma-PFAS). Bariatric surgery in adolescents was associated with a decline in circulating PFAS concentrations. Initially following bariatric surgery (0–6 months) concentrations were static followed by decline from 6 to 36 months following surgery. This may have large public health implications as PFAS are known to be associated with numerous metabolic related diseases and the significant reduction in circulating PFAS in individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery may be related to the improvement of such metabolic related diseases following bariatric surgery.