Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Environ Health. 2022 Aug 10;21(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12940-022-00890-8.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants that may contribute to the etiology of obesity. However, it is unclear whether PAHs from environmental sources are associated with regional body fat distribution, and whether the association varies across racial/ethnic groups who may have differential PAH exposure patterns.
To examine correlations between PAHs and body fat distribution, and potential racial/ethnic differences among U.S. adults.
Ten PAHs were measured in spot urine samples from 2691 non-smoking adults (age ≥ 20 years) in the NHANES 2001-2016. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure fat mass percent (FM%). Partial Pearson correlation coefficients (r) with multivariable adjustment were used to assess PAH-FM% associations.
In the total population, 1-naphthalene, 3-fluorene, and 1-pyrene were inversely correlated with total FM% or trunk FM% (adjusted r ranged: - 0.06 to - 0.08), while 2-naphthalene, 9-fluorene, and 4-phenanthrene were positively correlated with the FM% measurements (r: 0.07-0.11). PAH levels are highest among non-Hispanic Blacks, followed by Hispanics and Whites and some of the correlations were different by these races/ethnicities. Among non-Hispanic Whites, no PAH was correlated with FM%. In contrast, 9-fluorene was positively correlated with total FM% (r = 0.20) and trunk FM% (r = 0.22) among Blacks, and 4-phenanthrene was positively correlated with total FM% (r = 0.23) and trunk FM% (r = 0.24) among Hispanics (P-interaction: 0.010-0.025).
In this US adult population, certain PAHs are significantly associated with higher body fat contents among non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics but not non-Hispanic Whites, suggesting that minority groups might be particularly susceptible to PAH's obesogenic effects or the effects of other factors that determine the PAH exposure levels. Alternatively, differences in body composition may contribute to differential PAH metabolism in minority groups. Future studies are warranted to explore the racial/ethnic disparity in PAH exposures, drivers of these exposure differences, and mechanisms through which PAHs may influence body composition by races/ethnicities.
多环芳烃（PAHs）是环境污染物，可能导致肥胖的病因。然而，目前尚不清楚环境来源的 PAHs 是否与区域性体脂分布有关，以及这种关联是否因种族/民族群体而异，这些群体可能具有不同的 PAH 暴露模式。
在美国成年人中，检测 PAHs 与体脂分布的相关性，并探讨潜在的种族/民族差异。
从 NHANES 2001-2016 中 2691 名不吸烟成年人（年龄≥20 岁）的点尿样中测量了十种 PAHs。使用双能 X 射线吸收法测量脂肪质量百分比（FM%）。使用多变量调整后的偏 Pearson 相关系数（r）评估 PAH-FM%关联。
在总人口中，1-萘、3-芴和 1-蒽与总 FM%或躯干 FM%呈负相关（调整后的 r 范围为-0.06 至-0.08），而 2-萘、9-芴和 4-菲与 FM%测量呈正相关（r：0.07-0.11）。非西班牙裔黑人体内的 PAH 水平最高，其次是西班牙裔和白人，这些种族/民族之间的某些相关性存在差异。在非西班牙裔白人中，没有 PAH 与 FM%相关。相比之下，9-芴与黑人的总 FM%（r=0.20）和躯干 FM%（r=0.22）呈正相关，4-菲与黑人的总 FM%（r=0.23）和躯干 FM%（r=0.24）呈正相关）（P 交互：0.010-0.025）。
在本项美国成年人研究中，某些 PAHs 与非西班牙裔黑人和西班牙裔的体脂肪含量显著相关，但与非西班牙裔白人无关，这表明少数族裔可能特别容易受到 PAH 的致肥胖影响，或者其他决定 PAH 暴露水平的因素的影响。或者，少数群体的身体成分差异可能导致 PAH 代谢的差异。未来的研究需要探索 PAH 暴露的种族/民族差异、这些暴露差异的驱动因素以及 PAHs 通过种族/民族影响身体成分的机制。
