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Urinary parabens, advanced glycation end products and blood pressure in children: a longitudinal cohort study
Brigitte Reimann1, Hanne Sleurs1, Rossella Alfano1
1Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
Insights
Early-life exposure to parabens, particularly propyl paraben (PrP), is linked to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and blood pressure (BP) changes in children. Further research is needed on the long-term cardiovascular health impacts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Paraben exposure and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are independently associated with cardiovascular conditions like hypertension.
- The relationship between paraben exposure and AGEs, and their combined impact on blood pressure, remains understudied.
- Parabens may influence blood pressure through their potential to increase AGEs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between early-life paraben exposure and AGEs in children.
- To examine the relationship between paraben exposure, AGEs, and blood pressure (BP) over time.
- To explore the mediating role of AGEs in the association between paraben exposure and BP.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 83 children from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort.
- Urinary paraben concentrations (methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl) measured using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.
- Blood pressure and skin-autofluorescence (SAF) assessed AGEs at ages 4 and 10 years.
- Statistical analyses included generalized linear mixed models, quantile g-computation, and structural equation modeling (SEM).
Main Results:
- An inverse association was observed between the paraben mixture and AGEs (β = -0.30), primarily driven by propyl paraben (PrP).
- Direct effects of paraben exposure on systolic blood pressure were found at age 4.
- AGEs mediated an inverse indirect effect of paraben exposure on diastolic blood pressure at age 10.
Conclusions:
- Early-life exposure to parabens, especially PrP, is associated with AGEs and blood pressure levels in children.
- These findings suggest a potential pathway for paraben-induced cardiovascular effects via AGEs.
- Further investigation into the long-term health consequences of early-life paraben exposure is warranted.
Background:
Paraben exposure and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have both been linked to cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension. However, the association between parabens and AGEs has not been studied yet. Parabens could affect blood pressure (BP) via AGEs.
Methods:
In this longitudinal study, urinary paraben concentrations [methyl (MeP), ethyl (EtP), propyl (PrP), butyl (BuP)] were measured in preschool children from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. BP and AGEs, assessed with skin-autofluorescence (SAF) z-scores, were measured at baseline (4 years) and six years later in 83 children (166 observations). First, generalized linear mixed models and quantile g-computation were applied to assess associations and mixture effects of parabens with AGEs and with BP. Next, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to disentangle time-specific effects in these associations and explore the role of AGEs as mediators in the relationship between parabens and BP.
Results:
We observed an inverse association between the paraben mixture and AGEs (β = -0.30 per quantile increase; 95 % CI: -0.55, -0.042), driven by PrP with the strongest negative weight. Single-pollutant models confirmed this association for PrP (β = -0.15; 95 % CI: -2.51, -0.049). SEM revealed direct effects of parabens on systolic blood pressure at 4 years (est.std. = 0.50; 95 % Boot CI: 0.10, 0.82). AGEs mediated an inverse indirect effect of parabens on DBP at 10 years (β = -0.21; 95 % Boot CI: -0.41, -0.05).
Conclusions:
Early-life paraben exposure, particularly PrP, is associated with AGEs and blood pressure, warranting further investigation into long-term consequences.
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