Association between Urinary Phenols and Parabens as Well as Breast Cancer

Phenols and parabens have been associated with various adverse health outcomes. However, their relationship with breast cancer remains inconsistent, and the combined effect is still unknown. This study aimed to examine the association between mixed phenols and parabens and breast cancer among female adults.

Participants for this study were obtained from six cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The weighted logistic regression model was employed to investigate the relationship between individual chemicals and breast cancer. Furthermore, the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was used to assess the joint effects of phenols and parabens on breast cancer.

The study included 4993 participants, with 154 women diagnosed with breast cancer. After adjusting for all potential covariates, triclosan (TCS) showed a positive association with breast cancer (OR for Q3 = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.23-3.65), while propylparaben (PrPB) exhibited a negative association with breast cancer (OR for Q4 = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23-0.98). The WQS regression mode found no significant difference between mixed chemicals and breast cancer (OR for positive model = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.65-1.84 and OR for negative model = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.57-1.58).

Exposure to phenols and parabens has distinct effects on breast cancer risk. High-quality research is essential to obtain conclusions that are more reliable and uncover potential underlying mechanisms.