Department of Food and Nutrition, Chung-Ang University, Gyeonggi-do, 17546, Republic of Korea.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Sep;33(5):831-839. doi: 10.1038/s41370-023-00541-1. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants that are potentially hazardous to human health. Dietary exposure is recognized as one of the major pathways of exposure to PAHs among humans. While some PAH exposures have been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the general population, most epidemiological studies are based on urinary metabolites of a few noncarcinogenic PAHs.
To investigate the association between estimates of dietary exposure to major carcinogenic PAHs and MetS in Korean adults.
Multi-cycle Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) database (n = 16,015) and PAH measurement data from the total diet survey were employed to estimate daily PAH intake for each participating adult. After adjusting for potential confounders, multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between PAHs and MetS of the participating adults.
Benzo(a)pyrene exposure was associated with an increased risk of MetS in men (OR = 1.30; 95% Cl: 1.03-1.63; P-trend = 0.03). In women, however, only chrysene and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c) were positively associated with an increased risk of MetS (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.03-1.48; P-trend = 0.0172). Among men, smokers were at an increased risk for MetS, regardless of whether they were exposed to low or high total PAHs and benzo(a)pyrene levels.
Our findings suggested that PAHs are associated with the risk of MetS and MetS components in Korean adults. In particular, it was confirmed that smoking may influence the relationship between PAH exposure and MetS.Further prospective cohort studies are required to confirm the causal relationship between PAHs and MetS.
Epidemiological studies on PAH exposure are often hampered by a lack of reliable exposure estimates, as biomonitoring of urine does not capture exposure to more toxic PAHs. Using multi-cycle KNHANES data and the measurement data from a total diet survey of Korea, we could develop a personalized PAH intake estimate for each participating adult and assessed the association with MetS.
多环芳烃（PAHs）是对人类健康具有潜在危害的环境污染物。饮食暴露被认为是人类接触 PAHs 的主要途径之一。虽然一些 PAH 暴露与普通人群中的代谢综合征（MetS）有关，但大多数流行病学研究都是基于少数非致癌 PAHs 的尿液代谢物。
研究韩国成年人饮食中主要致癌 PAHs 暴露与 MetS 的关系。
利用多周期韩国国家健康和营养检查调查（KNHANES）数据库（n=16015）和总膳食调查的 PAH 测量数据，估算每位参与成年人的每日 PAH 摄入量。在调整潜在混杂因素后，采用多变量逻辑回归分析计算 PAHs 与参与成年人 MetS 之间的比值比（OR）和 95%置信区间（CI）。
苯并[a]芘暴露与男性 MetS 风险增加相关（OR=1.30；95%CI：1.03-1.63；P 趋势=0.03）。然而，在女性中，只有䓛和低高密度脂蛋白（HDL-c）与 MetS 风险增加呈正相关（OR=1.24；95%CI：1.03-1.48；P 趋势=0.0172）。在男性中，无论是否接触低或高总 PAHs 和苯并[a]芘水平，吸烟者患 MetS 的风险均增加。
我们的研究结果表明，PAHs 与韩国成年人 MetS 及 MetS 成分的风险相关。特别是，证实了吸烟可能会影响 PAH 暴露与 MetS 之间的关系。需要进一步的前瞻性队列研究来确认 PAHs 与 MetS 之间的因果关系。
PAH 暴露的流行病学研究常常受到缺乏可靠暴露估计的阻碍，因为尿液生物监测无法捕捉到更具毒性的 PAHs 的暴露。本研究利用多周期 KNHANES 数据和韩国总膳食调查的测量数据，为每位参与成年人制定了个性化的 PAH 摄入量估计，并评估了其与 MetS 的相关性。
