{"id":5139,"date":"2026-07-06T12:52:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/06\/air-pollution-may-cause-childhood-obesity-by-disrupting-impulse-control-study-finds\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T12:52:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:52:04","slug":"air-pollution-may-cause-childhood-obesity-by-disrupting-impulse-control-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5139","title":{"rendered":"Air pollution may cause childhood obesity by disrupting impulse control, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"7c30cb66-d5a1-4aec-a003-73431b50d8c8\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"people walk along a city street\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/5724e42a1ae8c0096546262b858bf7fab62609c6\/0_0_4652_3062\/master\/4652.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"306.06835769561474\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Wildfires in New Jersey cause smoky skies and diminished air quality around the tri-state area of the East Coast in 2024.<\/span> Photograph: Selcuk Acar\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"7c30cb66-d5a1-4aec-a003-73431b50d8c8\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Wildfires in New Jersey cause smoky skies and diminished air quality around the tri-state area of the East Coast in 2024.<\/span> Photograph: Selcuk Acar\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Air pollution may cause childhood obesity by disrupting impulse control, study finds<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Babies exposed to higher levels of neurotoxin more likely to have difficulty controlling impulses later, research shows<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Exposure to common air pollution may cause childhood obesity because it affects children\u2019s ability to control impulse, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43856-026-01699-z\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">new first-of-its-kind peer-reviewed research<\/a> finds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Particular matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a neurotoxin that has been linked to obesity, and Mt Sinai researchers say they have for the first time identified impulse control as a potential pathway. The study found that babies exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 during their first year of life were more likely to develop difficulties with controlling impulses later in childhood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Those behavioral changes were then linked to higher body fat and higher BMI in children between four to eight years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cA lot of the obesity research primarily focuses on \u2013 and is being shaped by \u2013 diet and physical activity, and a lot may not include environmental exposures, including air pollution,\u201d said Jamil Lane, a co-author with Mt Sinai\u2019s Icahn School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cOur study is novel in that we are showing that high levels of air pollution early in life may cause more difficulty with self-regulation, which contributes to weight gain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">PM2.5 is a pollutant composed of microscopic solid or liquid particles that are suspended in the air. Among its common manmade sources are traffic emissions and the burning of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It is considered a probable carcinogen and linked to a range of health problems from dementia to strokes. Previous research has shown how PM2.5 has obesogenic properties that can disrupt the metabolism and is associated with weight gain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Meanwhile, about 42% of American adults were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/hestat\/obesity-adult-17-18\/obesity-adult.htm\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">estimated<\/a> to be obese in 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It is well-established that poor inhibitory control is linked to obesity, and Bob Wright, a study co-author and environmental epidemiologist at Mt Sinai, said the authors wondered if the substance\u2019s neurotoxic effects and obesity were \u201cpart of the same processes\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">They looked at data from a group of 434 children born largely between 2007-2008 in Mexico City who are part of a longitudinal health study. The authors modeled ambient PM2.5 levels during pregnancy and the children\u2019s first year of life, which Lane said is a \u201cvery sensitive window\u201d for brain development. The children were later checked for impulsivity and obesity measures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The group with the highest levels of PM2.5 exposure showed a pattern of high impulsivity, reflecting significant deficits in inhibitory control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cOur study shows that greater early exposure to PM2.5 in the first year of life is associated with alterations in inhibitory control function in childhood,\u201d the study\u2019s authors wrote. \u201cThe effect is likely due to altered eating behaviors related to inhibitory control that are programmed early in life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The study acknowledges some limitations, including a small population size and limited covariates. Cecilia Moura, a clean transportation scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, who was not involved with the study, said the research was sound and the novel findings \u201cindicate there is sufficient evidence supporting the correlation to motivate policies and regulations that mitigate exposure to PM2.5\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">People can take steps to protect themselves and their kids. Home Hepa air filtration systems are effective at removing PM2.5, while furnace filters rated at Merv 13 or higher also capture much of the substance. <a href=\"https:\/\/planetdetroit.org\/2024\/07\/diy-air-filters-southwest-detroit\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">DIY filtration systems<\/a> using a box fan, cardboard, tape, and pleated air filters have been shown to be effective at reducing particulate matter. The authors advised that parents avoid high congestion areas as much as possible, and stay indoors if there is heavy wildfire smoke in the air.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">However, individuals cannot fully protect themselves, and the findings highlight the need for policy solutions and to raise awareness, Wright said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThere is not going to be change if people are not aware and lobbying for it, but policy change takes a long time and there are things we can do to protect ourselves,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US news<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/environment\/air-pollution\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Air pollution<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/society\/children\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Children<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/society\/obesity\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Obesity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Air%20pollution%20may%20cause%20childhood%20obesity%20by%20disrupting%20impulse%20control,%20study%20finds&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/06\/air-pollution-childhood-obesity-study?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F06%2Fair-pollution-childhood-obesity-study&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/06\/air-pollution-childhood-obesity-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wildfires in New Jersey cause smoky skies and diminished air quality around the tri-state area of the East<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}