Gender-specific abdominal fat distribution and insulin resistance associated with organophosphate esters and phthalate metabolites exposure

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of obesity highlights the potential contribution of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). However, common epidemiological measures such as body mass index and waist circumference may misrepresent the intricate obesity risks these chemicals pose across genders. This study delves deeper into abdominal fat by differentiating between subcutaneous and visceral regions by analyzing data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). We particularly investigated the gender-specific associations between organophosphorus flame-retardant metabolites (mOPFRs), phthalates (mPAEs) and accumulated fat indexes from 2536 people. Aiding by Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), we found while co-exposure to mOPFRs and mPAEs was linked to general and abdominal obesity across the entire and gender-specific populations, a gender-specific fat distribution emerged. For women, urinary BDCPP and MBzP were linked to an increased subcutaneous fat index (SFI) [BDCPP OR: 1.12 (95% CI: 1.03–1.21), MBzP OR: 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01–1.18)], but not to visceral fat index (VFI). These metabolites had a combined linkage with SFI, with BDCPP (weighting 22.0%) and DPHP (weighting 31.0%) being the most influential in Quantile g-computation model (qgcomp) model. In men, BCEP exposure exclusively associated with the elevated VFI [OR: 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03–1.26)], a trend further highlighted in mixture models with BCEP as the predominant association. Intriguingly, only males displayed a marked correlation between these metabolites and insulin resistance in subpopulation. An attempted mediation analysis revealed that elevated C-reactive protein mediated 12.1% of the association between urinary BCEP and insulin resistance, suggesting a potential role of inflammation. In conclusion, the gender-specific fat distribution and insulin resistance that associated with mOPFRs represented the potential risk of these chemicals to man.