Maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can affect newborn's metabolism and brain development: Study

A newly published study by researchers from Emory University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Columbia University found that a mother's exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can affect their newborn’s metabolism and brain development.

Phthalates are a group of widely used plasticizers commonly found in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products, such as shampoos, soaps, and detergents, as well as plastic food and beverage containers. Previous research showed phthalates can affect hormones and suggested they may be linked to health effects in mothers and babies.

The study, led by researchers at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and published in Nature Communications on Wednesday, was the first to explore and find evidence of how a pregnant woman’s exposure to phthalates influences their baby’s metabolism at birth.

Main Takeaways

• Prenatal phthalate levels in the mother’s blood during pregnancy were associated with lower levels of key neurotransmitter precursors (related to tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism) important for brain development in the newborn’s blood soon after birth.
• Higher prenatal phthalate levels were also associated with biological changes linked to lower information processing (or attention) and excitability (or arousal) scores in newborns.
• These findings suggest that a mother’s exposure to phthalates during pregnancy may influence her newborn’s metabolism soon after birth. Furthermore, exposure to phthalates while babies are still in the uterus may also have lasting effects on infant brain development.