Males >40 years frequently develop adult-onset hypogonadism (AOH), a condition that is highly correlated with age-related comorbidities. Phthalates are substances having endocrine-disrupting properties that are often employed in a variety of goods. The link between phthalate exposure and the development of AOH was not well understood. Therefore, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers performed the study to examine any potential associations.
Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were modified to assess the correlation between data on AOH and urine phthalate metabolites. For the final study, the concentrations of each metabolite were computed and sorted into quartile groups.
Finally, they discovered that increasing concentrations of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, such as mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), raised the odds ratio. At the same time, a strong dose-dependent impact was seen. The fourth quartile had the greatest OR of any of the 3 categories. In the MECPP group, the ORs for the third and fourth quartiles were 1.774 and 1.858, respectively. The OR for the MEHHP group increased from 1.580 in the second to 1.814 in the fourth quartile. Similarly, in the MEOHP group, the OR for the top 3 quartiles ranged from 1.424 to 1.715.
The first finding in the study was that there was a link between DEHP metabolite exposure and the risk of AOH. While further research is required to fully understand the probable molecular pathways, the findings only contributed a little amount of data to the field.
Reference: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.991497/abstract
