The University of Michigan Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center (UM-CEHC), funded in 2013 by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), studies how obesity, sexual maturation, and risk of metabolic syndrome (a combination of increased blood pressure, high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels) are affected by the interaction of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with diet during the critical developmental periods of pregnancy and puberty.
The UM-CEHC is a collaborative effort between the University of Michigan School of Public Health, the University of Michigan Medical School and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Mexico that capitalizes on two existing human cohorts (Early Life Exposures in Mexico to ENvironmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) and the Michigan Mother-Infant Pairs (MMIP)) as well as an established mouse model for evaluating human relevant environmental exposures and life course disease outcomes. Research findings from the UM-CEHC's three research projects will provide important information for designing future interventions to reduce the impact of EDCs on children's health.