Public Health · Internal Medicine · 2 h ago
Urinary Flame-Retardant Metabolites Associated With Sarcopenia in U.S. Adults
An analysis of NHANES data from 2011–2018 examined urinary organophosphate flame-retardant metabolites and sarcopenia outcomes in U.S. adults. Dibutyl phosphate and combined metabolite exposure were associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity, but the observational findings do not establish causation.
- DBuP was associated with both sarcopenia outcomes.
- Mixture analyses identified DBuP as the primary contributor.
- Associations were stronger among older adults.
- Observational results do not establish causation.
Researchers analyzed U.S. adult data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2011–2018 to assess associations between five urinary organophosphate flame-retardant metabolites and sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity. They used survey-weighted logistic regression and exposure-response models, alongside several methods to assess combined exposures. Mediation and toxicogenomic analyses explored possible biological pathways. The abstract does not report the sample size.
Urinary dibutyl phosphate (DBuP) was positively associated with both outcomes. BCIPP and BDCIPP showed weaker but consistent associations, while mixture analyses also indicated positive relationships, with DBuP the primary contributor. Associations were stronger among older adults. Serum albumin partially mediated the DBuP–sarcopenia association. Network analysis implicated inflammation- and oxidative stress-related pathways, including IL6, TNF, TP53, and NFE2L2.
These are observational associations and cannot establish that flame-retardant exposure causes sarcopenia. The proposed mechanisms are based on mediation and toxicogenomic analyses, rather than direct evidence that those pathways explain the associations. The findings do not establish a clinical screening or treatment approach.
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BMC Public Health: Urinary organophosphate flame retardants and risk of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity among middle-aged and older adults: a systematic investigation integrating epidemiological and adverse outcome pathway analyses ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.