Associations between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and body fat evaluated by DXA and MRI in 109 adolescent boys

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  • Mathilde Lolk Thomsen
  • Louise Scheutz Henriksen
  • Jeanette Tinggaard
  • Flemming Nielsen
  • Tina Kold Jensen
  • Main, Katharina Maria

Background: Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been associated with changes in body mass index and adiposity, but evidence is inconsistent as study design, population age, follow-up periods and exposure levels vary between studies. We investigated associations between PFAS exposure and body fat in a cross-sectional study of healthy boys. Methods: In 109 boys (10–14 years old), magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were performed to evaluate abdominal, visceral fat, total body, android, gynoid, android/gynoid ratio, and total fat percentage standard deviation score. Serum was analysed for perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, and perfluorodecanoic acid using liquid chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Data were analysed by multivariate linear regression. Results: Serum concentrations of PFASs were low. Generally, no clear associations between PFAS exposure and body fat measures were found; however, PFOS was negatively associated with abdominal fat (β = -0.18, P = 0.046), android fat (β = -0.34, P = 0.022), android/gynoid ratio (β = -0.21, P = 0.004), as well as total body fat (β = -0.21, P = 0.079) when adjusting for Tanner stage. Conclusions: Overall, we found no consistent associations between PFAS exposure and body fat. This could be due to our cross-sectional study design. Furthermore, we assessed PFAS exposure in adolescence and not in utero, which is considered a more vulnerable time window of exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Article number73
JournalEnvironmental Health: A Global Access Science Source
Volume20
Number of pages11
ISSN1476-069X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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© 2021, The Author(s).

    Research areas

  • Adolescence, Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, Fat percentage, Magnetic resonance imaging, Perfluoroalkyl substances

ID: 274617744