Phthalates and Metabolism: Exposure Correlates with Obesity and Diabetes in Men

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes has increased considerably in the past few decades. Many plausible contributing factors have been identified for this increase, among them low testosterone levels in men. Research has found that exposure to certain synthetic chemicals adversely affects testicular function in animals and possibly in humans. A new analysis looked for—and found—that exposure to one class of these chemicals, phthalates, correlated with two metabolic abnormalities in men: abdominal obesity and insulin resistance [EHP 115:876–882; Stahlhut et al.].