Exposure to a Mixture of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Metabolic Outcomes in Belgian Adolescents

Anran Cai*, Sylvie Remy, Virissa Lenters, Bianca Cox, Greet Schoeters, Adrian Covaci, Roel Vermeulen, Lützen Portengen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Childhood exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), either alone or in mixtures, may affect metabolic outcomes, yet existing evidence remains inconclusive. In our study of 372 adolescents from the Flemish Environment and Health Study (FLEHS IV, 2017-2018), we measured 40 known and suspected EDCs and assessed metabolic outcomes, including body mass index z-score (zBMI), abdominal obesity (AO), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG). We applied Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and Bayesian penalized horseshoe regression for variable selection and then built multivariate generalized propensity score (mvGPS) models to provide an overview of the effects of selected EDCs on metabolic outcomes. As a result, BKMR and horseshoe together identified five EDCs associated with zBMI, three with AO, three with TC, and five with TG. Through mvGPS analysis, monoiso-butyl phthalate (MIBP), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB-170), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) each showed an inverse association with zBMI, as did PCB-170 with AO. Copper (Cu) was associated with higher TC and TG, except in boys where it was linked to lower TG. Additionally, monoethyl phthalate (MEP) and monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) were associated with higher TG. To conclude, our findings support the association between certain chemicals (Cu, MEP, and MBzP) and elevated lipid levels, aligning with prior studies. Further investigation is needed for sex-specific effects.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)19871-19880
Number of pages10
JournalEnvironmental Science and Technology
Volume57
Issue number48
Early online date9 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The FLEHS IV study was funded by the Environment, Nature, and Energy Department of the Flemish government. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Flemish government. This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement nos. 825489 GOLIATH and no. 733032 HBM4 EU. We would like to express our gratitude to the Flemish Center of Expertise on Environment and Health, which conducted the FLEHS studies, as well as the Ministry of the Flemish Community, which commissioned, funded, and supervised the studies. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to all the participants and their parents for their valuable cooperation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.

Funding

The FLEHS IV study was funded by the Environment, Nature, and Energy Department of the Flemish government. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Flemish government. This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement nos. 825489 GOLIATH and no. 733032 HBM4 EU. We would like to express our gratitude to the Flemish Center of Expertise on Environment and Health, which conducted the FLEHS studies, as well as the Ministry of the Flemish Community, which commissioned, funded, and supervised the studies. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to all the participants and their parents for their valuable cooperation.

FundersFunder number
Energy Department of the Flemish government
Flemish Center of Expertise on Environment and Health
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme825489, 733032
Vlaamse regering

    Keywords

    • abdominal obesity
    • adolescence
    • body mass index
    • cholesterol
    • endocrine-disrupting chemicals
    • triglycerides

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Exposure to a Mixture of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Metabolic Outcomes in Belgian Adolescents'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this