ESPE Abstracts

Background: Experimental models suggest that exposure to low dose nonylphenol could induce adiposity and promote adipocyte differentiation in mice. However, studies on the effect of nonylphenol exposure to human obesity have not been adequately studied.

Objective: We investigated the associations of serum nonylphenol concentration with adiposity measures in Korean children and adolescents.

Methods: A total of 204 children and adolescents, aged 6 to 14 years old (105 overweight-to-obese subjects and 99 controls), were recruited. Anthropometric indices including body mass index (BMI) and body fat mass (kg) were determined. The serum concentrations of nonylphenol were measured using GC-MS SIM mode. Generalized linear model procedures were used to calculate the adjusted least square geometric mean (LSGM), after controlling for physical activity, daily calorie intake, household income, birth weight, and gestational age. The logistic regression model was used to determine the adjusted [odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI)] for overweight and obesity.

Results: Serum nonylphenol concentrations were detected among 92.6% of subjects, and the geometric mean (95% CI) of serum nonylphenol was 2.54 (2.26-2.87) ng/mL. As the elevation of nonylphenol quartile values, adjusted mean values of obesity indices including weight, BMI percentile, and body fat mass significantly increased (P-for-trend <0.05). After adjusting for covariates, the subjects in the highest nonylphenol quartile showed a significantly increased OR (95% CI) for obesity compared with those in the lowest nonylphenol quartile [2.47 (1.03-5.92), P-for-trend <0.023].

Conclusions: We demonstrated a positive association between serum nonylphenol and obesity in girls. Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our results.