How household dust could contribute to childhood obesity

Few people really like to clean up. A new study from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment might, however, encourage you to clean more often.

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The researchers, left behind by Christopher Kbadotis, discovered that dust in homes could contain chemicals that accelerate the development of fat cells, which could cause obesity.

These "endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in household dust promote the development of fat cells in a cellular model and could contribute to increased growth of children," researchers said.

"This is one of the first researches on the links between exposure to mixtures of chemicals present in the indoor environment and the metabolic health of children living in these homes," he said. Kbadotis said in a press release.

Previous research has shown that endocrine disrupting chemicals "may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental or obesity disorders in children by disrupting hormone-mediated processes during critical periods of development." ".

Previous research has also shown that chemical exposures can promote triglyceride accumulation and increase obesity in animal models. Observational studies have linked exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals that can contribute to obesity and increased weight in humans.

For this study, Kbadotis and his team collected 194 dust samples from homes located in central North Carolina. They then extracted the chemicals from the dust and tested their ability to promote the formation of fat cells.

They discovered that very low concentrations of dust extracts favored "the precursor proliferation of fat cells and their development".

"We found that two-thirds of the dust extracts were able to promote the development of fat cells and half of those of the proliferation of precursor fat cells to 100 micrograms, about 1,000 times less than what children consume daily. "said Kbadotis.

The EPA estimates that children consume between 60 and 100 milligrams of dust per day.

After measuring more than 100 chemicals in dust and their relationship to fat cell development, the researchers found that "70 of these products had a significant positive relationship with the development of fat-induced adipose cells, and about 40 were linked to precursor fat cells. development."

"This suggests that mixtures of chemicals present in the indoor environment could be at the origin of these effects," said Kbadotis.

The Kbadotis team found that many of these chemicals were more prevalent in house dust with overweight children. Some chemicals are found in laundry detergents, cleaners, paints and cosmetics, and the research team continues to study them to determine which ones might be related to obesity.

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