Diabetes Metab J.  2020 Oct;44(5):764-774. 10.4093/dmj.2019.0158.

Can Habitual Exercise Help Reduce Serum Concentrations of Lipophilic Chemical Mixtures? Association between Physical Activity and Persistent Organic Pollutants

• Lee YM
• Shin JY
• Kim SA
• Jacobs DR
• Lee DH

• KMID: 2513037
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2019.0158

Abstract

Low-dose persistent organic pollutants (POPs), especially organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), have emerged as a new risk factor of many chronic diseases. As serum concentrations of POPs in humans are mainly determined by both their release from adipose tissue to circulation and their elimination from circulation, management of these internal pathways may be important in controlling the serum concentrations of POPs. As habitual physical activity can increase the elimination of POPs from circulation, we evaluated whether chronic physical activity is related to low serum POP concentrations.

A cross-sectional study of 1,850 healthy adults (age ≥20 years) without cardio-metabolic diseases who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2004 was conducted. Information on moderate or vigorous leisure-time physical activity was obtained based on questionnaires. Serum concentrations of OCPs and polychlorinated biphenyls were investigated as typical POPs.

Serum concentrations of OCPs among physically active subjects were significantly lower than those among physically inactive subjects (312.8 ng/g lipid vs. 538.0 ng/g lipid, P<0.001). This difference was maintained after adjustment for potential confounders. When analyses were restricted to physically active subjects, there were small decreases in the serum concentrations of OCPs with increasing duration of physical activity, showing a curvilinear relationship over the whole range of physical activity (P_quadratic <0.001). In analyses stratified by age, sex, body mass index, and smoking status, a strong inverse association was similarly observed among all subgroups.

Physical activity may assist in decreasing serum concentrations of lipophilic chemical mixtures such as OCPs.

Keyword

Adipose tissue; Complex mixtures; Environmental exposure; Environmental pollutants; Exercise; Organic chemicals; Pesticides; Polychlorinated biphenyls

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Distribution of serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants based on the level of moderate or vigorous leisure-time physical activity. Geometric mean±standard error. (A) ΣOCPs, sum of six OCPs (β-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT, oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, and heptachlor epoxide). (B) ΣPCBs, sum of 12 PCBs (PCB74, PCB99, PCB118, PCB138, PCB146, PCB153, PCB156, PCB170, PCB180, PCB187, 3,3′4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl, and 3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl).

• 

  Fig. 2 Stratified analyses for the associations between duration of leisure-time physical activity and the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). Geometric mean±standard error. (A) Stratified by age (sample sizes: 1,087 for age <40; 518 for age 40–59; 245 for age ≥60). (B) Stratified by sex (sample sizes: 877 for men; 973 for women). (C) Stratified by body mass index (sample sizes: 1,377 for body mass index [BMI] <30 kg/m2; 473 for BMI ≥30 kg/m2). (D) Stratified by smoking status (sample sizes: 476 for current smokers; 1,374 for non-current smoker). All of these analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, body mass index, changes in weight over the past year, dietary intake of total monounsaturated fatty acids, total polyunsaturated fatty acids, total saturated fatty acids, and total energy intake. Among all covariates mentioned above, the variable used for stratification was excluded from adjustment in each analysis. ΣOCPs, sum of six OCPs (β-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT, oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, and heptachlor epoxide).

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