Association between urinary methylparaben level and bone mineral density in children and adolescents aged 8-19 years

Abstract

Abstract Background Previous epidemiological studies have explored the relationships between methylparaben (Mep) and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults. However, the correlation between methylparaben and BMD in children and adolescents is unclear. Objective This study examined the correlation between Mep and BMD in children and adolescents aged 8–19 years. Methods Data on urinary Mep levels and BMD (containing total BMD, trunk bone BMD, pelvis BMD, lumbar spine BMD and thoracic spine BMD) of 1,830 children and adolescents aged 8–19 years were obtained from the 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Multivariable linear regressions and smooth curve fittings were adopted to evaluate the correlation between Mep and BMD. Results After adjusting potential confounders, we found positive relationship between Mep and BMD. Furthermore, the positive trends were significant in females aged 8–19 years, but not significant in males aged 8–19 years (P for trend > 0.05). Conclusion This study has been the first study that found evidence to demonstrate that exposure to Mep may be related to BMD in children and adolescents aged 8–19 years. More population and experimental studies should be performed to verify the above findings and analyze the mechanism.