Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are primarily used in coatings for cookware and waterproof clothing, and can enter the body through contaminated food or water, potentially acting as endocrine disruptors. Epidemiological studies have reported associations between PFAS and dyslipidemia; how...

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Main Authors: Kangyeon Park, Da-An Huh, Lita Kim, Yun-Hee Choi, Jiyoun Lee, Se Hyun Hwang, Hyeon Jeong Choi, Woohyun Lim, Kyong Whan Moon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325009789
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author Kangyeon Park
Da-An Huh
Lita Kim
Yun-Hee Choi
Jiyoun Lee
Se Hyun Hwang
Hyeon Jeong Choi
Woohyun Lim
Kyong Whan Moon
author_facet Kangyeon Park
Da-An Huh
Lita Kim
Yun-Hee Choi
Jiyoun Lee
Se Hyun Hwang
Hyeon Jeong Choi
Woohyun Lim
Kyong Whan Moon
author_sort Kangyeon Park
collection DOAJ
description Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are primarily used in coatings for cookware and waterproof clothing, and can enter the body through contaminated food or water, potentially acting as endocrine disruptors. Epidemiological studies have reported associations between PFAS and dyslipidemia; however, these studies have mainly been conducted in Western and other countries. Due to genetic differences and weak regulations in East Asia compared to Western countries, there is a need for studies on the health impact on this population. This cross-sectional study analyzed the association between serum PFAS levels and dyslipidemia in Korean adults. The data were from 2975 participants from the cycle 4 of Korean National Environmental Health Survey conducted between 2018 and 2020. We performed general linear regression, robust Poisson regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression to analyze the association between the five PFAS and dyslipidemia. All five PFAS were detected in over 99.8 % of the study participants, with geometric mean concentrations as follows: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) = 6.4 ng/mL, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) = 15 ng/mL, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) = 4.2 ng/mL, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) = 2.1 ng/mL, and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA) = 0.91 ng/mL. This study confirmed positive associations between PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFDeA, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), as well as a positive association between PFOA, PFNA, and PFDeA and the prevalence of high total cholesterol (TC). Further, an analysis stratified by sex revealed a positive association between PFOA and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) in men. The PFAS mixture was associated with lipid profiles (TC, HDLC, and LDLC) in the general population of Korean adults, which emphasizes the need to strengthen PFAS regulations.
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spelling doaj-art-cf37b9b59d6a447587528bed9c736fb62025-08-20T03:03:58ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-09-0130211863310.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118633Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean populationKangyeon Park0Da-An Huh1Lita Kim2Yun-Hee Choi3Jiyoun Lee4Se Hyun Hwang5Hyeon Jeong Choi6Woohyun Lim7Kyong Whan Moon8Department of Health and Safety Convergence Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; L-HOPE Program for Community-Based Total Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaInstitute of Health Sciences, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author.Department of Health and Safety Convergence Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; L-HOPE Program for Community-Based Total Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute for Inflammation, Korea University College of Medicine, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Department of Safety and Health, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Health and Safety Convergence Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; L-HOPE Program for Community-Based Total Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USASchool of Health and Environmental Science, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaSchool of Health and Environmental Science, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaL-HOPE Program for Community-Based Total Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; School of Health and Environmental Science, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are primarily used in coatings for cookware and waterproof clothing, and can enter the body through contaminated food or water, potentially acting as endocrine disruptors. Epidemiological studies have reported associations between PFAS and dyslipidemia; however, these studies have mainly been conducted in Western and other countries. Due to genetic differences and weak regulations in East Asia compared to Western countries, there is a need for studies on the health impact on this population. This cross-sectional study analyzed the association between serum PFAS levels and dyslipidemia in Korean adults. The data were from 2975 participants from the cycle 4 of Korean National Environmental Health Survey conducted between 2018 and 2020. We performed general linear regression, robust Poisson regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression to analyze the association between the five PFAS and dyslipidemia. All five PFAS were detected in over 99.8 % of the study participants, with geometric mean concentrations as follows: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) = 6.4 ng/mL, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) = 15 ng/mL, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) = 4.2 ng/mL, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) = 2.1 ng/mL, and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA) = 0.91 ng/mL. This study confirmed positive associations between PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFDeA, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), as well as a positive association between PFOA, PFNA, and PFDeA and the prevalence of high total cholesterol (TC). Further, an analysis stratified by sex revealed a positive association between PFOA and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) in men. The PFAS mixture was associated with lipid profiles (TC, HDLC, and LDLC) in the general population of Korean adults, which emphasizes the need to strengthen PFAS regulations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325009789PFASLipid profilesDyslipidemiaKoNEHSBKMR
spellingShingle Kangyeon Park
Da-An Huh
Lita Kim
Yun-Hee Choi
Jiyoun Lee
Se Hyun Hwang
Hyeon Jeong Choi
Woohyun Lim
Kyong Whan Moon
Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
PFAS
Lipid profiles
Dyslipidemia
KoNEHS
BKMR
title Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
title_full Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
title_fullStr Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
title_full_unstemmed Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
title_short Levels of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the Korean population
title_sort levels of serum per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and association with dyslipidemia in the korean population
topic PFAS
Lipid profiles
Dyslipidemia
KoNEHS
BKMR
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325009789
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