Associations of prenatal and childhood Pb exposure with allostatic load in adolescence: Findings from the ELEMENT cohort study

• Published in: Environmental research Vol. 235; p. 116647
• Main Authors: Halabicky, O.M., Téllez-Rojo, M.M., Miller, A.L., Goodrich, J.M., Dolinoy, D.C., Hu, H., Peterson, K.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 15-10-2023
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent health; Allostasis - physiology; Allostatic load; Biomarkers; Child exposure; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Family; Female; Humans; Infant; Lead; Male; Pb exposure; Physiological stress; Pregnancy; Vitamins; Adolescent health; Allostatic load; Pb exposure; Child exposure; Physiological stress
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116647

The biological pathways which link lead (Pb) and long-term outcomes are unclear, though rodent models and a few human studies suggest Pb may alter the body's stress response systems, which over time, can elicit dysregulated stress responses with cumulative impacts. This study examined associations between prenatal and early childhood Pb exposure and adolescent allostatic load, an index of an individual's body burden of stress in multiple biological systems, and further examined sex-based associations. Among 391 (51% male) participants in the ELEMENT birth cohort, we related trimester-specific maternal blood Pb, 1-month postpartum maternal tibia and patella Pb, and child blood Pb at 12–24 months to an allostatic load index in adolescence comprised of biomarkers of cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and immune function. The results were overall mixed, with prenatal exposure, particularly maternal bone Pb, being positively associated with allostatic load, and early childhood Pb showing mixed results for males and females. In adjusted Poisson regression models, 1 mcg/g increase in tibia Pb was associated with a 1% change in expected allostatic load (IRR = 1.01; 95%CI 0.99, 1.02). We found a significant Pb × sex interaction (IRR = 1.05; 95%CI 1.01, 1.10); where males saw an increasing percent change in allostatic load as 12 month Pb levels increased compared to females who saw a decreasing allostatic load. Further examination of allostatic load will facilitate the determination of potential mechanistic pathways between developmental toxicant exposures and later-in-life cardiometabolic outcomes.
•Early life Pb remains highly prevalent globally.•Prenatal Pb was associated with increasing adolescent allostatic load.•Postnatal Pb showed mixed effects for adolescent allostatic load.•Sex modified associations among child Pb exposure and adolescent allostatic load.•Allostatic load is a precursor for cardiometabolic disease.