The effect of PFAS exposure on glucolipid metabolism in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Background: Previous studies showed that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are widely found in the environment, can disrupt endocrine homeostasis when they enter the human body. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate current human epidemiological evidence on the relationship between PFAS exposure and glucolipid metabolism in childhood and adolescence. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases, and identified population-based epidemiological studies related to PFAS and glucolipid metabolism indexes that were published before 30 December 2022. The heterogeneity of the included literature was assessed using the I-square (I 2) test and statistics Q. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were used to combine the effect size. Subgroup analysis based on age and sex of the study participants was performed. A sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the robustness and reliability of the combined results. Egger’s and Begg’s tests were used to analyze publication bias. Results: A total of 12 studies were included in this analysis. There was a positive association between PFAS and TC (β = 1.110, 95% CI: 0.601, 1.610) and LDL (β = 1.900, 95% CI: 1.030, 2.770), and a negative association between PFAS and HOMA-IR in children and adolescents (β = −0.130, 95% CI: −0. 200, −0.059). PFOS was significant positive associated with TC (β = 8.22, 95% CI: 3.93, 12.51), LDL (β = (12.04, 95% CI: 5.08, 18.99), and HOMA-IR (β = −0.165, 95% CI: −0.292, −0.038). Subgroup analysis showed that exposure to PFAS in the adolescent group was positively associated with TC and LDL levels, and the relationship was stronger in females. Conclusion: PFAS exposure is associated with glucolipid metabolism in children and adolescents. Among them, PFOS may play an important role. Recognition of environmental PFAS exposure is critical for stabilizing the glycolipid metabolism relationship during the growth and development of children and adolescents.
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Comprehensive metabolomic investigations reveal that PFASs exposure alters key metabolic pathways, including amino acid, nucleotide, carbohydrate, and vitamin metabolism.
“Comprehensive metabolomic investigations reveal that PFASs exposure alters key metabolic pathways, including amino acid, nucleotide, carbohydrate, and vitamin metabolism [112], disrupting mitochondrial function and cellular energy homeostasis, particularly among children and adolescents with chronic exposure [113].”
From Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Healthcare: Environmental and Clinical Insights (2025) · cites this paper as [112]
The Results (Study search and characteristics overview; page unavailable) identify glucose and lipid metabolism measures, and the Conclusion reports an association between PFAS exposure and glucolipid metabolism in children and adolescents. Our copy does not report alterations in amino acid, nucleotide, or vitamin metabolism, or a comprehensive metabolomic analysis. The later clause about mitochondrial function carries a different citation and is not assessed here. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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- Authors
- Zheng, Q., Yan, W., Gao, S., & Li, X.
- Affiliations
- Nanjing Children's Hospital (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Xiaonan
- Venue
- Frontiers in Endocrinology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2024-02-14
- Volume
- 15
- Pages
- 1261008-1261008
- ISSN
- 1664-2392 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10902913
- OpenAlex
- W4391820066
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 4
- FWCI
- 0.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Endocrinology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M721683)
- Government of Jiangsu Province
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Keywords
- PFAS exposure, glucolipid metabolism, children, adolescents, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HOMA-IR, insulin resistance, PFOS, endocrine disruption, sex differences
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, Female, Fluorocarbons, Homeostasis, Humans, Male, Reproducibility of Results, Databases, Factual, Lipid Metabolism
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