Abstract:
Objective To investigate the correlation of exposure to bisphenol analogues (BPs) and phthalates (PAEs) with overweight/obesity among residents of a community in Shenzhen, China.
Methods A total of 796 adults who underwent routine physical examinations at a community health service center in Futian District, Shenzhen, between 2018 and 2019 and between 2021 and 2022, were enrolled as study subjects. Urine samples from these subjects were analyzed for two BPs and eleven PAEs using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The correlation between the concentrations of BPs and PAEs in the urine was analyzed using Spearman's correlation analysis. Logistic regression models were employed to assess the correlation between individual pollutants and overweight/obesity. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) functions were used to evaluate the exposure-response relationship, and the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was applied to assess the combined effect of BPs and PAEs.
Results Among the study subjects, 400 individuals (50.25%) were classified as overweight/obesity. The detection rates of BPs and PAEs in urine ranged from 79.27% to 100.00%, with mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) having the highest detection rate and a median specific gravity-adjusted concentration of 12.86 ng/mL. After adjustment for multiple covariates, logistic regression models showed that urinary mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), and MEHHP levels were correlated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity (PFDR < 0.05), with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.29 (1.09-1.54), 1.32 (1.10-1.58), and 1.38 (1.14-1.68), respectively. RCS results indicated a positive linear exposure-response relationship between these three pollutants and the risk of overweight/obesity (Poverall < 0.05 and Pnonlinear > 0.05). The BKMR model demonstrated significant positive correlations of co-exposure to BPs and PAEs with the risk of overweight/obesity, with PAEs being the major contributor, particularly MEHHP, and a possible negative interaction was noted between MEHHP and MEOHP.
Conclusion There is a significant positive correlation of co-exposure to BPs and PAEs with the risk of overweight/obesity among residents of a community in Shenzhen, and MEOHP, MECPP, and MEHHP as individual pollutants are significantly correlated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity.