Role of phthalates on adiposity: Epidemiological evidence

• Autor(es): Ribeiro, C ; Araújo, J ; Ramos, E
• Data: 2022
• Identificador Persistente: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/164632
• Origem: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
• Tipo de Documento: Livro
• Idioma: Inglês

Descrição

Overweight and obesity in adults have become a priority many decades ago, however, it remains one of the critical problems in public health around the world. It is also increasingly prevalent in children and adolescents and in the last three decades child obesity rates have tripled to approximately 17% in children aged between 2 to 19 years, and to 32% of overweight and obesity combined. Phthalates are classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). The EDCs compounds interfere with the endocrine system, and their potential to interfere in metabolic processes regulating and promoting adipogenesis has been described. However, most of the information regarding EDCs potential to promote obesity is based on in vitro or animal models and the knowledge regarding their impact on human samples is inconsistent. Although there are concerns regarding the use of phthalates, its use is highly widespread in products used in daily life such as adhesives, detergents, food packaging, plastic bottles, children's toys, flame retardants, and personal care products including perfume, hair gels, hair sprays, body lotion, deodorant, and nail polish. The concerns over the potential adverse health effects related to phthalates exposure had led to the implementation of legislative procedures to minimize the risks, namely in children's products. These procedures drive the search for alternative compounds such as 1,2-Cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), however, its impacts on health are still largely uncharacterized. Therefore, this chapter aims to discuss current developments in phthalates exposures and metabolic health in children and adults. We aimed to summarize the available epidemiological data on this topic, presenting the results through a critical approach to clarify the possible causal relationship between exposure to phthalates and adiposity and its consequences. The five following topics are addressed: Phthalates' chemical structure; Phthalates as endocrine disruptors; Sources of phthalate exposure in human populations; Association between phthalates exposure and obesity; and Association between phthalates exposure and other metabolic alterations. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.