PFAS exposure tied to greater weight regain after adolescent bariatric surgery
By Danielle Valletti | Pharmacy Times | August 18, 2025

Read the full article by Danielle Valletti (Pharmacy Times)
"New research following adolescents for 5 years after they had bariatric surgery found that teens with high blood levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals before surgery tended to gain more weight back and have larger waist sizes later, compared to those with lower levels of PFAS. This research shows how the environment plays a role in the results of weight surgery in young people over time.¹
The study looked at 186 adolescents from the Teen-LABS group who had bariatric surgery between 2007 and 2012. Their weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist size were obtained before surgery and after at approximately 6, 12, 36, and 60 months. Investigators measured presurgical plasma concentrations of seven PFAS and modeled postoperative trajectories using linear mixed-effects approaches and mixture analyses. The team found that perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonic (PFHxS), and perfluoroheptane sulfonate (PFHpS) were most consistently linked with adverse weight-related outcomes over time. At PFOS levels around 1.45 to 2.94 log2 ng/mL, annual BMI gain increased from 1.34 to 1.84 kg/m2. The models also showed the combined adverse effects of sulfonic-acid PFAS.1,2"
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