Children Exposed to Cannabis in the Womb Had More Body Fat and Higher Blood Sugar by Age 5
Children whose mothers had detectable cannabinoids during pregnancy had significantly higher fat mass, adiposity, and fasting glucose at around age 5 compared to unexposed children.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Approximately 15% of mothers had detectable cannabinoids in urine at ~27 weeks gestation. Exposed offspring had higher fat mass (+1.0 kg), fat-free mass (+1.2 kg), adiposity (+2.6%), and fasting glucose (+5.6 mg/dL) at mean age 4.7 years compared to unexposed children. No associations were found with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, BMI, or BMI z-scores.
Key Numbers
103 mother-child pairs; 15% exposed; +1.0 kg fat mass; +1.2 kg fat-free mass; +2.6% adiposity; +5.6 mg/dL fasting glucose; mean follow-up age 4.7 years
How They Did This
Prospective cohort of 103 mother-child pairs from the Healthy Start study (Colorado). Twelve cannabinoids/metabolites measured in maternal urine at ~27 weeks gestation. Child adiposity measured via air displacement plethysmography and metabolic markers at mean age 4.7 years.
Why This Research Matters
This is among the first studies to link prenatal cannabis exposure to childhood metabolic outcomes, suggesting effects on body composition and glucose regulation that could have long-term health implications.
The Bigger Picture
With rising cannabis use during pregnancy, understanding metabolic effects on offspring is critical. If prenatal exposure programs children for higher adiposity and glucose, it could contribute to later obesity and diabetes risk.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample size (103 pairs). Single urine measurement may not capture full exposure. Cannot fully control for all confounders associated with cannabis use during pregnancy.
Questions This Raises
- ?Do these metabolic differences persist or increase into later childhood?
- ?Would heavier prenatal cannabis exposure produce larger metabolic effects?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- +1.0 kg fat mass and +5.6 mg/dL glucose in exposed children
- Evidence Grade:
- Prospective cohort with objective biomarker exposure assessment, but small sample limits generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022
- Original Title:
- Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes: The Healthy Start Study.
- Published In:
- The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 107(7), e2862-e2869 (2022)
- Authors:
- Moore, Brianna F(4), Sauder, Katherine A(3), Shapiro, Allison L B(3), Crume, Tessa, Kinney, Gregory L, Dabelea, Dana
- Database ID:
- RTHC-04077
Evidence Hierarchy
Enrolls participants and follows them forward in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does prenatal cannabis exposure affect children's metabolism?
This study found children exposed to cannabis in the womb had higher fat mass (+1.0 kg), more body fat (+2.6%), and higher fasting blood sugar (+5.6 mg/dL) by about age 5.
How was cannabis exposure measured?
Twelve cannabinoids and metabolites (including THC and CBD) were measured in maternal urine at about 27 weeks of pregnancy, providing objective evidence of exposure.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04077APA
Moore, Brianna F; Sauder, Katherine A; Shapiro, Allison L B; Crume, Tessa; Kinney, Gregory L; Dabelea, Dana. (2022). Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes: The Healthy Start Study.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 107(7), e2862-e2869. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgac101
MLA
Moore, Brianna F, et al. "Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes: The Healthy Start Study.." The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgac101
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes:..." RTHC-04077. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/moore-2022-fetal-exposure-to-cannabis
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.