Adolescents with higher levels of certain types of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their blood prior to bariatric surgery were significantly more likely to regain weight after the procedure than those with lower levels, a new study has found.

PFAS — synthetic chemicals used in many consumer products labeled as stain or grease resistant, waterproof, or nonstick — are present in most people’s blood and are associated with endocrine disruption and metabolic dysregulation, lead author Brittney Baumert, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral research fellow in population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues wrote.

These compounds, nicknamed forever chemicals because they’re resistant to breaking down, are as

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