Raza Yasrab N, Moustafa Julia S El-Sayed, Zhang Xinyuan, Wang Dongmeng, Tomlinson Max, Falchi Mario, Menni Cristina, Bowyer Ruth C E, Steves Claire J, Small Kerrin S
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Francesco Sforza, 35, 20122, Milan, Italy.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025 Apr 24. doi: 10.1038/s41370-025-00773-3.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) are synthetic substances with long half-lives. Their presence is widespread and pervasive, and they are noted for their environmental persistence. Research has shown these chemicals to be associated with dyslipidaemia, although few studies have considered the long-term associations in the general population.
The aim of this study was to consider the longitudinal and cross-sectional associations with lipid phenotypes.
We investigated the association of these chemicals with total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG), and the total cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein ratio (TC:HDL), in a healthy unselected British population of twins (n = 2069), measured at three timepoints between 1996 and 2014.
Serum levels of PFOA and PFOS decreased over time during this period. We demonstrate longitudinal associations across serum levels of both PFOA and PFOS, finding positive associations with TC (PFOA:β = 0.51, p = 1.9e-07; PFOS:β = 0.24, p = 3.8e-05) and LDL (PFOA:β = 0.61, p = 1.7e-11; PFOS:β = 0.42, p = 1.6e-14), and consistent negative associations with HDL and PFOA (β = -0.12, p = 0.003) and PFOS (β = -0.25, p = <2e-16). We also observe cross-sectional associations of PFAS with lipids across all three timepoints.
PFAS remain persistent in the environment, despite regulations, due to their structural properties, leaving humans open to exposure. There is less understanding of how chronic low exposure to these chemicals, particularly within an unselected population, may impact health outcomes. This study reports the longitudinal associations of PFOA and PFOS over an 18-year window with 5 lipid phenotypes, highlighting that despite falling serum levels, PFAS exposure may lead to hyperlipidaemia. We further investigate the cross-sectional associations across three timepoints to understand time-dependent effects, demonstrating associations persist. This work aids our understanding on the long-term effect of chronic PFAS exposure.
全氟辛酸（PFOA）和全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）是半衰期较长的合成物质。它们广泛存在且无处不在，以其环境持久性而闻名。研究表明这些化学物质与血脂异常有关，尽管很少有研究考虑一般人群中的长期关联。
本研究的目的是探讨与脂质表型的纵向和横断面关联。
我们在1996年至2014年期间的三个时间点，对一个未经过挑选的健康英国双胞胎人群（n = 2069）进行了调查，研究这些化学物质与总胆固醇（TC）、低密度脂蛋白（LDL）、高密度脂蛋白（HDL）、甘油三酯（TG）以及总胆固醇与高密度脂蛋白比值（TC:HDL）之间的关联。
在此期间，血清中PFOA和PFOS的水平随时间下降。我们证明了PFOA和PFOS血清水平的纵向关联，发现它们与TC呈正相关（PFOA：β = 0.51，p = 1.9e - 07；PFOS：β = 0.24，p = 3.8e - 05）以及与LDL呈正相关（PFOA：β = 0.61，p = 1.7e - 11；PFOS：β = 0.42，p = 1.6e - 14），并且与HDL和PFOA呈一致的负相关（β = -0.12，p = 0.003）以及与PFOS呈负相关（β = -0.25，p = <2e - 16）。我们还观察到在所有三个时间点PFAS与脂质的横断面关联。
尽管有相关规定，但由于其结构特性，PFAS在环境中仍然具有持久性，使人类容易受到暴露。对于长期低剂量接触这些化学物质，尤其是在未经过挑选的人群中，如何影响健康结果的了解较少。本研究报告了在18年期间PFOA和PFOS与5种脂质表型的纵向关联，强调尽管血清水平下降，但PFAS暴露可能导致高脂血症。我们进一步研究了三个时间点的横断面关联以了解时间依赖性影响，证明关联持续存在。这项工作有助于我们理解慢性PFAS暴露的长期影响。
