Abstract P046: Circulating Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants are Related to the Change in Lipids During 5 Years Follow Up

Abstract

Background: When reporting circulating levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), usually lipid-normalized values are given. However, animal experiments and some human data support the view that exposure to POPs might change lipid values. The aim of the present study is to investigate if POP levels could predict future change in lipids levels. Methods: In the population-based Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, lipids were measured at age 70 and at age 75 in 598 subjects without lipid-lowering medication. Twenty-one different POPs, including 16 PCBs, three pesticides (HCB, DDE and TNK), one dioxin (OCDD) and one brominated compound (BDE47) were analyzed by high-resolution chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/ HRMS) at age 70. Results: Strong relationships were seen between the baseline levels of PCBs 194, 206 and 209 and the degree of increase in total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol during the 5 year follow-up. These relationships were generally stronger when lipid-normalized levels were used compared to wet-weight based levels. On the contrary, both HCB and TNK levels were inversely related to the change in LDL-cholesterol, with strongest associations found using wet-weight based levels. PCBs 194, 206 and 209 were inversely related to the change in HDL-cholesterol. None of the POPs were related to the change in serum triglycerides. Conclusion: POPs are related to the future change in lipids. This might explain why POP exposure previously has been linked to atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular disease. It might also question the use of lipid-normalization when studying relationships between POPs and metabolic diseases.