Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020

Emerging evidence indicates that environmental exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may influence lipid metabolism, though studies on adolescents remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between PFAS mixture exposure and lipid profiles in Korean adolescents....

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Main Authors: Min-Won Shin, Habyeong Kang, Shin-Hye Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Toxics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/2/91
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author Min-Won Shin
Habyeong Kang
Shin-Hye Kim
author_facet Min-Won Shin
Habyeong Kang
Shin-Hye Kim
author_sort Min-Won Shin
collection DOAJ
description Emerging evidence indicates that environmental exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may influence lipid metabolism, though studies on adolescents remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between PFAS mixture exposure and lipid profiles in Korean adolescents. Using data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018–2020), we analyzed 824 adolescents aged 12–17 years. Serum concentrations of PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA), and lipid profiles were assessed. In multivariate regression models, PFDeA and PFNA were positively associated with elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and PFDeA was associated with hypercholesterolemia risk in boys. In girls, PFDeA was associated with higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower triglycerides, though no significant association with hypercholesterolemia risk was observed. Bayesian kernel machine regression demonstrated positive associations between PFAS mixture exposure and hypercholesterolemia risk in boys but not in girls. The quantile g-computation model also demonstrated an odds ratio (OR) of 1.47 (95% CI: 0.99–2.19, <i>p</i> = 0.057) for PFAS mixture exposure in boys, suggesting borderline statistical significance. These findings suggest that PFAS exposure may disrupt lipid metabolism, elevating hypercholesterolemia risk in adolescents, particularly boys.
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spelling doaj-art-eb4b44d202b4433b8cc86a023969f91a2025-08-20T02:03:32ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042025-01-011329110.3390/toxics13020091Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020Min-Won Shin0Habyeong Kang1Shin-Hye Kim2Department of Pediatrics, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul 01757, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Pediatrics, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul 01757, Republic of KoreaEmerging evidence indicates that environmental exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may influence lipid metabolism, though studies on adolescents remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between PFAS mixture exposure and lipid profiles in Korean adolescents. Using data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018–2020), we analyzed 824 adolescents aged 12–17 years. Serum concentrations of PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA), and lipid profiles were assessed. In multivariate regression models, PFDeA and PFNA were positively associated with elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and PFDeA was associated with hypercholesterolemia risk in boys. In girls, PFDeA was associated with higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower triglycerides, though no significant association with hypercholesterolemia risk was observed. Bayesian kernel machine regression demonstrated positive associations between PFAS mixture exposure and hypercholesterolemia risk in boys but not in girls. The quantile g-computation model also demonstrated an odds ratio (OR) of 1.47 (95% CI: 0.99–2.19, <i>p</i> = 0.057) for PFAS mixture exposure in boys, suggesting borderline statistical significance. These findings suggest that PFAS exposure may disrupt lipid metabolism, elevating hypercholesterolemia risk in adolescents, particularly boys.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/2/91biomonitoringlipidendocrine disruptorsadolescentsperfluoroalkyl substances
spellingShingle Min-Won Shin
Habyeong Kang
Shin-Hye Kim
Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
Toxics
biomonitoring
lipid
endocrine disruptors
adolescents
perfluoroalkyl substances
title Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
title_full Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
title_fullStr Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
title_full_unstemmed Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
title_short Concentrations of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipid Health in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018–2020
title_sort concentrations of serum per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and lipid health in adolescents a cross sectional study from the korean national environmental health survey 2018 2020
topic biomonitoring
lipid
endocrine disruptors
adolescents
perfluoroalkyl substances
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/2/91
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AT habyeongkang concentrationsofserumperandpolyfluoroalkylsubstancesandlipidhealthinadolescentsacrosssectionalstudyfromthekoreannationalenvironmentalhealthsurvey20182020
AT shinhyekim concentrationsofserumperandpolyfluoroalkylsubstancesandlipidhealthinadolescentsacrosssectionalstudyfromthekoreannationalenvironmentalhealthsurvey20182020