In-utero exposure to magnetic fields associated with increased risk of obesity in childhood

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/kp-iet072612.php

Public release date: 27-Jul-2012
Contact: Catherine Hylas Saunders
Kaiser Permanente
In-utero exposure to magnetic fields associated with increased risk of obesity in childhood

In-utero exposure to relatively high magnetic field levels was associated with a 69 percent increased risk of being obese or overweight during childhood compared to lower in-utero magnetic field levels, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online version of Nature's Scientific Reports.

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Researchers noted a dose response relationship with increasing in-utero magnetic field levels being associated with further increased risk of obesity or being overweight. The observed association and supporting evidence provide the first epidemiologic findings that link increasing exposure to environmental magnetic fields, especially in-utero exposure, over the last few decades with the rapid rise in childhood obesity during the corresponding decades, according to the authors.