Association between Urinary Bisphenol A and Waist Circumference in Korean Adults

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins, and food and beverage containers. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between urinary concentrations of BPA and waist circumference in Korean adults. A total of 1,030 Korean adults (mean age, 44.3 ± 14.6 years) were enrolled in the study on the integrated exposure to hazardous materials for safety control, conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety from 2010 to 2012. Abdominal obesity was defined as having a waist circumference of at least 90 cm and 85 cm for men and women, respectively. The participants were divided into 4 groups according to the urinary BPA concentration quartile. Waist circumference was significantly higher among subjects with a urinary BPA concentration in the highest quartile relative to those in the lowest quartile (p = 0.0071). Linear regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between urinary BPA concentrations and body mass index, body fat, after adjusting for potential confounders. Moreover, subjects with urinary BPA concentrations in the fourth quartile were more likely to be obese compared to those with urinary BPA concentrations in the first quartile (odds ratio, 1.938; 95% CI: 1.314~2.857; p for trend = 0.0106). These findings provide evidence for a positive association between urinary BPA concentration and waist circumference in Korean adults.

Urinary bisphenol A and obesity in adults: results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey

“…11,15,32 Although non-monotonic associations have been commonly observed for BPA and other endocrine disruptors in toxicological studies, 34 ubiquitous low-level exposures to BPA in human populations present a challenge for assessing and interpreting doseresponse relationships. 35 Consistent with previous studies, 11,13,14 our study also provides evidence for positive associations between urinary BPA and continuous BMI and waist circumference measures. However, unlike studies in the USA 11,12 and Asia, 13,14 we did not find an association between urinary BPA and central obesity defined using waist circumference cut-offs.…”

“…35 Consistent with previous studies, 11,13,14 our study also provides evidence for positive associations between urinary BPA and continuous BMI and waist circumference measures. However, unlike studies in the USA 11,12 and Asia, 13,14 we did not find an association between urinary BPA and central obesity defined using waist circumference cut-offs. Although we used the same cut-offs as the US studies, differences in racial/ethnic makeup between the populations may have contributed to the discrepant findings.…”

“…[11][12][13][14][15] Sociodemographic variables included sex; age (18 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, or ≥ 70 years); race/ethnicity (white or non-white); highest level of education (less than secondary school degree, secondary school degree, or post-secondary degree); and household income adequacy (low/lower middle, upper middle, or high), categorized based on annual household income and number of people living in the household. We also considered lifestyle factors, including smoking status (never, former, or current); alcohol consumption (0 to 3 times/month, 1 to 6 times/week, or daily); and physical activity, which was assessed based on average daily energy expenditure during leisuretime activities reported over the past 3 months and categorized as active (≥ 3.0 kcal/kg/day), moderately active (1.5 to 2.9 kcal/kg/day), or inactive (< 1.5 kcal/kg/day).…”

“…3 Excess consumption of energy-dense foods, inadequate physical activity, and increased sedentary behaviour have been identified as the most evidence of a relationship between BPA and obesity in humans has emerged but is limited to a small number of populations. To date, epidemiological studies in the USA, 11,12 China, 13 and Korea 14,15 have reported positive associations between BPA and adiposity measures in adults. Moreover, as an estrogen-like compound, BPA has been shown to affect males and females differently in animal models, 16 although evidence of sex differences in the association between BPA and obesity in humans is limited.…”

Bisphenol A exposure and associations with obesity among adults: a critical review

“…Twelve of the eighteen studies were rated as negative quality (65,(67)(68)(69)(71)(72)(73)(75)(76)(77)(78)(79) , six were neutral quality (62)(63)(64)66,70,74) and none were positive quality. The lack of positive quality studies was typically due to limitations and issues related to BPA exposure measurement (validity question 5), temporality problems (validity question 6) and/or lack of evaluation of confounding factors (validity question 7).…”