FRIDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may have an impact on male sex hormones, according to research published online Aug. 25 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Tamara Galloway, Ph.D., of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined BPA concentrations in urine samples from 715 adults (20 through 74 years old) to estimate the daily excretion levels of BPA and determine whether there is an association between BPA and serum estrogen and testosterone concentrations.
The researchers found higher BPA excretions in men, younger people, and those with larger waist circumference and higher weight. Higher BPA excretion was associated with increased concentrations of testosterone in men after adjustment for age, study site, smoking, obesity, and urinary creatinine concentrations, but it was not associated with other serum measures. The researchers found no associations in women between BPA concentrations and concentrations of total testosterone and 17 beta-estradiol. However, in 60 premenopausal women they found an association between BPA and sex hormone binding globulin concentrations.
"Higher BPA exposure may be associated with endocrine changes in men. The mechanisms involved in the observed cross-sectional association with total testosterone concentrations need to be clarified," the authors write.
Two authors are employed by the Brixham Environmental Laboratory (AstraZeneca U.K. Ltd.), where sample analysis for the study was performed.
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