Association of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals With the Metabolic Syndrome Among Women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death among women. MetS is a diagnosis of at least 3 of the following: high blood pressure, high fasting glucose, high triglycerides, high waist circumference, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Epidemiological studies suggest that endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure is positively associated with individual components of MetS, but evidence of an association between EDCs and MetS remains inconsistent. In a cross-sectional analysis within the Multiethnic Cohort Study, we evaluated the association between 4 classes of urinary EDCs (bisphenol A [BPA], triclosan, parabens, and phthalates) and MetS among 1728 women. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% CI for the association between tertiles of each EDC and MetS adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), racial and ethnic group, and breast cancer status. Stratified analyses by race and ethnicity and BMI were conducted. MetS was identified in 519 (30.0%) women. We did not detect statistically significant associations of MetS with BPA, triclosan, or phthalate metabolite excretion. MetS was inversely associated with total parabens (P_trend = .002). Although there were suggestive inverse associations between EDCs and MetS among Latino and African American women, and women with BMI < 30 kg/m², there was no statistically significant heterogeneity in associations by race and ethnicity or BMI. These findings suggest an inverse association between parabens and MetS in larger multiethnic studies. Prospective analyses to investigate suggested differences in associations by race, ethnicity, and BMI are warranted.