Research
Hormonal
Higher urinary concentrations of MEHP (a metabolite of DEHP) are inversely associated with BMI and waist circumference in adolescent and adult females, suggesting a complex, potentially anti-androgenic or metabolic effect distinct from males.
For women, the relationship between phthalate exposure (specifically DEHP metabolites) and weight is complex and potentially inverse, unlike in men. This highlights the importance of considering hormonal context when evaluating environmental health risks.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
MEHP was inversely related to BMI and WC in adolescent and adult females... Mean BMI generally decreased across quartiles among adolescent girls... and among 20–59 year old females.
Why this rating
Cross-sectional observational study; association is clear but mechanism is speculative.
Source
Association of urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with body mass index and waist circumference: a cross-sectional study of NHANES data, 1999–2002
Elizabeth E. Hatch et al. · Environmental Health · 2008
DOI 10.1186/1476-069x-7-27
cross_sectional · n=4369Cited 439×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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