PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO DDE, WEIGHT AND BODY MASS INDEX

The search for explanations for the worldwide increase in overweight has focused mostly on diet and exercise, but environmental agents may also play a part. It has been hypothesized, for example, that persistent organic pesticides may be environmental “obesogens”. Karmaus et al 1 investigate this possibility in a study of adult daughters of a cohort of Michgan, USA, women enrolled beginning in 1973. Daughters of the women were examined between 2001 and 2006 and the mothers’ levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) …