Urinary endocrine-disrupting chemicals do not increase risk of metabolic syndrome among women

A recent multiethnic study highlighted the potential connection between exposure to certain environmental chemicals and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in women. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, includes factors like high blood pressure, elevated fasting glucose, increased triglycerides, expanded waist circumference, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

This analysis focused on four classes of urinary endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), the bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan, parabens, and phthalates. The study involved 1728 women after adjusting for variables such as age, body mass index (BMI), racial and ethnic background, and breast cancer status.

The results showed that metabolic syndrome was identified in 30.0% of the women. There were no statistically significant associations between MetS and BPA, triclosan, or phthalate metabolite excretion. Also, an intriguing inverse relationship emerged with total parabens (Ptrend = .002) was noticed which indicated a potential protective effect against metabolic syndrome.

The study explored potential variations in these associations based on race, ethnicity, and BMI. While these were suggestive of inverse associations between EDCs and MetS among Latino and African American women, no statistically significant heterogeneity was detected in those with a BMI under 30 kg/m2.

The findings of this study suggest a complex interplay between environmental exposures and metabolic health, particularly among women. This inverse association observed here with parabens prompts further investigation into the potential protective role of these chemicals in the context of MetS.

Reference:

Ihenacho, U., Guillermo, C., Wilkens, L. R., Franke, A. A., Tseng, C., Li, Y., Sangaramoorthy, M., Derouen, M. C., Haiman, C. A., Stram, D. O., Le Marchand, L., Cheng, I., & Wu, A. H. (2023). Association of endocrine disrupting chemicals with the Metabolic syndrome among women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Journal of the Endocrine Society, 7(12). https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvad136