Abstract
Background Alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, colloquially known as parabens, are types of preservatives found in multiple foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products to which Americans are exposed daily. It is unclear if parabens exhibit endocrine-disrupting properties. Parabens may interact with triglycerides in adipose tissue and impact lipid metabolism. Objective To evaluate the association between urinary paraben concentrations and serum triglyceride concentrations. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting. The Mobile Examination Centers affiliated with 2013-2014 NHANES. Participant(s). 827 adults (20 years or older) affiliated with the 2013-2014 NHANES. Intervention(s). None. Main Outcome Measure(s). Triglyceride levels were associated with urinary paraben concentrations (methyl, ethyl, and propyl) using a hierarchical multiple regression, adjusting for ethnicity/race, gender, BMI, and age. Unadjusted results are also reported. Results The geometric mean of the urinary concentration of methylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben was 57.100, 2.537, and 6.537 ng/ml, respectively. Triglyceride concentrations were inversely associated with methylparaben (β = −0.092, P=0.07), ethylparaben (β = −0.066, P=0.045), and propylparaben (β = −0.076, P=0.025). Being female, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black were associated with decreasing triglyceride levels in the presence of methylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben, and age, BMI, and being male were associated with increasing circulating triglycerides. Conclusion Despite the potential detrimental effects of parabens on triglycerides, our results suggest that urinary excretions of methylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben are associated with lower concentrations of circulating triglycerides in certain populations. Further research is needed to confirm the mechanisms and health impact of this relationship.
Highlights
Alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, colloquially known as parabens, are a type of preservative commonly found in foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. ese compounds can display broad antimicrobial activity, are chemically stable, and are relatively inexpensive to fabricate [7]
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program that is affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is tasked with assessing the health and nutritional status of Americans [12]. e primary objective of NHANES is to produce quality data that can be analyzed by health scientists to inform public health policy
Participants identified as 42.9% non-Hispanic Whites, 20.2% non-Hispanic Blacks, 13.1% non-Hispanic Asians, 20.8% Hispanics (12% Mexican American and 8.8% other Hispanics), and 3.0% mixed race or others. e average Body mass index (BMI) was 28.9, which falls in the overweight category
Summary
Alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, colloquially known as parabens, are a type of preservative commonly found in foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. ese compounds can display broad antimicrobial activity, are chemically stable, and are relatively inexpensive to fabricate [7]. Ere are four main types of parabens that are found in foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, colloquially known as parabens, are types of preservatives found in multiple foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products to which Americans are exposed daily. It is unclear if parabens exhibit endocrine-disrupting properties. Despite the potential detrimental effects of parabens on triglycerides, our results suggest that urinary excretions of methylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben are associated with lower concentrations of circulating triglycerides in certain populations. Further research is needed to confirm the mechanisms and health impact of this relationship
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