PFAS Has More Effect Than Diet on Weight Gain: Study

Dieters who gained the most weight back after initial weight loss had high levels of PFAS – regardless of what diet they stuck to.

Frustrated that the pounds keep flooding back after losing weight on a diet?

PFAS, pervasive environmental contaminants known as “forever chemicals,” could play a role, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Obesity.

The study took a novel approach to a frustrating conundrum many adults have experienced at some point: Pounds that slowly creep back on after successful weight loss and despite faithful adherence to a healthier diet.

Researchers tracked the post-diet results of 381 Europeans who had lost a minimum of 8% of their original weight after two months of dieting, and tested their blood for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a family of chemicals used to make everything from firefighting foam to nonstick products and that have been linked to obesity.

‘The obesity pandemic’

All participants stayed on a specific diet for at least 26 weeks after the initial weight loss. Those who gained the most weight back had the highest levels of PFAS chemicals, researchers found.