Environment/Climate Change
Food Groups and Circulating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Levels: Cross-Sectional and Trend Analyses in NHANES 2005–2018 Longgang Zhao* Longgang Zhao Xinyuan Zhang Aimin Chen Xuehong Zhang
Objectives: Diet is considered a primary source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in non-occupational populations, yet studies on the diet-PFAS relationship and its trend across time remain limited. We examined correlations between food intake and serum PFAS levels and evaluated temporal trends in associations of food groups with PFAS levels in US adults between 2005 and 2018.
Methods: We analyzed data from seven cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2005–2018) with diet and PFAS data (N=9063, ≥20 years). Partial Spearman rank correlation coefficients between intake of 29 predefined food groups (in servings/day) and serum concentrations of total and seven specific PFAS compounds were used to evaluate the cross-sectional associations with adjustments of age, sex, race, smoking status, total energy intake, body mass index, and physical activity.
Results: Correlations between food groups and PFAS levels varied by compound. Seafoods with low omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA), red meat, alcoholic beverages, seafoods with and high n-3 FA , and other starchy vegetables were associated with total PFAS (γSpearman=0.05-0.09), while seafood with low or high n-3 FA, alcoholic beverages, dark green and other vegetables were associated with PFUA (γSpearman=0.11-0.21). Over time, seafood with low or high n-3 FA and alcoholic beverages were consistently correlated with total PFAS (γSpearman=0.04-0.14). For PFHxS, associations with dark green (γSpearman from 0.04 to 0.10) and other vegetables (γSpearman from 0.02 to 0.07) strengthened in recent cycles (P trend≤0.05).
Conclusions: Seafood, meat intake, and alcoholic beverage were top food groups correlated with serum PFAS levels. The trend of stronger correlations between vegetables and PFHxS levels over time highlights shifting exposure patterns. Our findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to reduce contamination and guide future research on mitigating dietary exposure.
