Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Modulates Serum Phospholipids in Newborn Infants, Increasing Later Risk of Type 1 Diabetes

In the last decade, the increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) stabilized in Finland, coinciding with tighter regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Here we applied lipidomics and quantification of PFAS to examine their effect, during pregnancy, on lipid-related markers of T1D risk in children. In a well-characterized mother-infant cohort (264 pairs), high PFAS exposure during pregnancy associated with decreased phospholipids in the offspring. This association was exacerbated with increased human leukocyte antigen-conferred risk of T1D in infants. Their lipid profiles proved similar to those observed in earlier studies in young children progressing to T1D later in life. Exposure to a single PFAS compound or a PFAS-containing mixture of organic pollutants in non-obese diabetic mice resulted in their offspring seeing a similar decrease in phospholipids, with early signs of insulitis. Our findings suggest that high PFAS exposure during pregnancy contributes to risk and pathogenesis of T1D in children.