Early life is an important period for growth and development and therefore, sensitive to environmental exposures, such as chemicals and nutrition. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), ubiquitous in daily exposure, can lead to adverse health effects. Katherine Svensson’s doctoral thesis in Public Health Science investigates 26 EDCs in pregnant women and measured children’s growth up to 7 years, finding higher EDC levels linked to lower birthweight, slower weight gain, and sex-specific impacts on body fat. In our conversation, Katherine explains the significance of her results. Adherence to nutritional guidelines together with better regulation of EDCs can help to promote healthy environments for children’s growth.

Katherine Svensson’s doctoral thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: Early life environmental exposures and children’s growth: A longitudinal study evaluating prenatal exposure for endocrine disrupting chemicals and nutrition in relation to children’s growth up to seven years of age