Phthalate exposure is associated with more rapid body fat gain in midlife women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Multi-Pollutant Study

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• Alternative Title:
  Environ Res
• Personal Author:
  Peng, Mia Q. ; Karvonen-Gutierrez, Carrie A. ; Herman, William H. ; Mukherjee, Bhramar ; Park, Sung Kyun
• Description:
  Obesity is a major threat to health, but the etiology of obesity is incompletely understood. Phthalates, synthetic chemicals ubiquitous in the environment, are suspected to have obesogenic effects, but the relationship of phthalates and obesity in humans remains uncertain. We examined whether phthalate exposure was associated with body fat gain in midlife women. We analyzed data from 1369 women in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Multi-Pollutant Study. Eleven phthalate metabolites measured in spot urine samples at baseline (1999/2000) were standardized with covariate-adjusted creatinine. Body weight (BW), fat mass (FM) from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and body fat percentage (BF%) from DXA were measured near-annually until 2016/2017. For each metabolite, linear mixed effects models with time and log|(metabolite) interactions were examined, adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and menopause-related factors. Analyses were conducted overall and stratified by baseline obesity status. As sensitivity analyses, all analyses were repeated using a second set of metabolites measured in 2002/2003. Higher levels of all metabolites except mono-carboxy-isononyl phthalate were associated with faster increases in BF%. Per doubling of metabolite concentrations, differences in five-year BF% change ranged from 0.03 percentage point (ppt) (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.03, 0.09) for mono-isobutyl phthalate to 0.09 ppt (95% CI: 0.02, 0.16) for mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate. Results were similar for FM change, but associations with BW change were mostly null. In stratified analyses by baseline obesity status, positive associations were strongest in women who were normal/underweight at baseline. When metabolites from 2002/2003 were used as exposures, most associations were attenuated and not statistically significant, but they remained positive for normal/underweight women. In conclusion, phthalate metabolites were associated with more rapid body fat gain in midlife women, but our results need confirmation given attenuation of estimates in the sensitivity analyses.
• Keywords:
  Adipose Tissue Body Composition Body Fat Percentage Environmental Exposure Environmental Obesogen Environmental Pollutants Female Humans Obesity Phthalates Phthalic Acids Thinness Women's Health

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• Source:
  Environ Res. 216(Pt 3):114685
• Pubmed ID:
  36341787
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC9870605
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T42 OH008455/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; R01 AG062622/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 DK092926/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012554/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32 AG027708/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 ES017885/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012535/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012553/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 NR004061/NR/NINR NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012539/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 ES026578/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012546/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U19 AG063720/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012495/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 DK020572/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012505/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG012531/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 ES026964/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 AG017719/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  216
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8d85c11010a16f90b2e6c685f1b1fcbc3cd8303f1839189d5792764923aedad7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/123910/cdc_123910_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.77 MB ]