Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Pediatric Department, Buzzi Children's Hospital, 20154 Milano, Italy.
Nutrients. 2024 Aug 16;16(16):2732. doi: 10.3390/nu16162732.
Recent scientific results indicate that diet is the primary source of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) due to their use in food processing, pesticides, fertilizers, and migration from packaging to food, particularly in plastic or canned foods. Although EDCs are not listed on nutrition labels, their migration from packaging to food could inadvertently lead to food contamination, affecting individuals by inhalation, ingestion, and direct contact. The aim of our narrative review is to investigate the role of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) in foods, assessing their risks for precocious puberty (PP) and early-onset obesity, which are two clinical entities that are often associated and that share common pathogenetic mechanisms. The diverse outcomes observed across different studies highlight the complexity of phthalates and BPA effects on the human body, both in terms of early puberty, particularly in girls, and obesity with its metabolic disruptions. Moreover, obesity, which is independently linked to early puberty, might confound the relationship between exposure to these EDCs and pubertal timing. Given the potential public health implications, it is crucial to adopt a precautionary approach, minimizing exposure to these EDCs, especially in vulnerable populations such as children.
最近的科学研究结果表明，饮食是接触内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs）的主要来源，因为这些化学物质被广泛应用于食品加工、农药、化肥以及从包装向食品的迁移，尤其是在塑料或罐装食品中。尽管 EDCs 并未在营养标签上列出，但它们从包装向食品的迁移可能会导致食品污染，通过吸入、摄入和直接接触影响个体。本综述旨在研究邻苯二甲酸酯和双酚 A（BPA）在食品中的作用，评估它们对性早熟（PP）和早发性肥胖的风险，这两种临床病症通常相关且具有共同的发病机制。不同研究中观察到的各种结果突出了邻苯二甲酸酯和 BPA 对人体的影响的复杂性，既包括女孩的早期青春期，特别是肥胖及其代谢紊乱，也包括与肥胖相关的青春期提前。此外，肥胖本身与青春期提前有关，可能会混淆这些 EDCs 暴露与青春期时间的关系。鉴于潜在的公共卫生影响，采取预防措施以尽量减少这些 EDCs 的暴露至关重要，特别是在儿童等弱势群体中。
