Impact of Paraben Exposure on Adiposity-Related Measures: An Updated Literature Review of Population-Based Studies

Abstract

Parabens are alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid that are commonly used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Humans are exposed to parabens when they use these products and through diet. There are growing concerns that paraben exposure can adversely impact human health. The endocrine-disrupting and obesogenic properties of parabens have been observed in animal studies and in vitro, prompting the increase in population-based studies of paraben exposure and adiposity-related endpoints. In this review, we summarize epidemiological studies published between 2017 and 2022 that examined paraben exposure in utero, between birth and adolescence, and in adulthood, in relation to adiposity-related measures. Overall, these studies provide some evidence that suggests that paraben exposure, especially during critical development windows, is associated with adiposity-related measures. However, we have noted several limitations in these studies, including the predominance of cross-sectional studies, inconsistent sample collection procedures, and small sample sizes, which should be addressed in future studies.

Inherited Epigenetic Hallmarks of Childhood Obesity Derived from Prenatal Exposure to Obesogens

“…Parabens are known endocrine disruptors that are able to activate PPARs, TRs, and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). In a recent review on the obesogenic effect of prenatal exposure to parabens, Xu et al [ 67 ] concluded that despite the evidence from in vitro and animal studies, there are several discrepancies regarding population-based studies, which are probably due to the inherent limitations of the studies. Interestingly, it is worth highlighting that although most of these studies confer an obesogenic effect to most parabens (butylparaben, methylparaben, or propylparaben), prenatal exposure to ethylparaben (EtP) has been described to be associated with lower birth weights and lower BMI z-scores [ 35 , 68 ].…”

Reciprocal Effect of Environmental Stimuli to Regulate the Adipogenesis and Osteogenesis Fate Decision in Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs)

“…Parabens are alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid that are used as preservatives in cosmetics, personal-care products, pharmaceuticals, and food [52]. In vitro, parabens promoted lipid accumulation and increased mRNA expression of adipocyte-specific markers (Pparγ, C/ebpα, Fabp4, and fatty acid synthase (Fas) in murine 3T3-L1 cells and human adipose-derived multipotent stem cells (ASCs) [53].…”