In a study published on September 20, 2016 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Lauren Johns and colleagues from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, U.S., explored the relationships between exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and circulating levels of vitamin D.
Urinary concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) and eleven phthalate metabolites were measured in urine, and vitamin D was measured in blood from the same individual. Study samples were collected in 2005-2010 from 4667 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program. Significant associations with lower vitamin D levels were observed in females for the sum of several metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, CAS 117-81-7), and for BPA. Higher levels of these EDCs corresponded with lower levels of vitamin D.
In a press release published on September 20, 2016, the Endocrine Society hails the study as “the first to find an association between EDC exposure and vitamin D level in a large group of U.S. adults.” According to the study’s lead author Johns, these findings may have “widespread implications for public health,” because vitamin D is involved in maintaining bone and muscle health, and low levels of this vitamin have been implicated in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Further studies are urgently needed to better understand the relationships between EDC exposure and vitamin D levels, and associated health outcomes.
Read more
Endocrine Society (September 20, 2016). “Chemical exposure linked to lower vitamin D levels.”
Reference
Johns, L. et al. (2016). “Relationships between urinary phthalate metabolite and bisphenol A concentrations and vitamin D levels in U.S. adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2005-2010.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (published September 20, 2016).
