Household Chemicals May Affect Cholesterol Levels
MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Chemicals used in food packaging, paper and textile coatings may affect blood cholesterol levels in people, U.S. researchers have found.
Previous studies have found that polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) are present in the bodies of most people. In this new study, a team at the Boston University School of Public Health analyzed the association between serum cholesterol levels and four PFCs: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS).
The analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed that people with levels of PFOS, PFOA and PFNA in the top 25 percent had higher total and non-HDL cholesterol (primarily the "bad" LDL cholesterol) than those with levels in the lowest 25 percent.
The association was most noticeable for PFNA, with a 13.9 milligram per deciliter difference in estimated cholesterol levels between people with the highest and lowest levels of the chemical, the study authors noted.
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