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. 2012;7(1):e30093.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030093. Epub 2012 Jan 25.

Associations between organochlorine pesticides and vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. population

Jin-Hoon Yang  1 , Yu-Mi Lee, Sang-Geun Bae, David R Jacobs Jr, Duk-Hee Lee
Affiliations

Associations between organochlorine pesticides and vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. population

Jin-Hoon Yang et al. PLoS One. 2012.

Abstract

Background: Recently low dose organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been strongly linked to various chronic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Both field and animal studies have suggested a possibility that persistent lipophilic chemicals like OC pesticides can cause vitamin D deficiency, but there have been no human studies of exposure to any chemical as a possible cause of vitamin D deficiency. This study was performed to examine if serum concentrations of OC pesticides were associated with serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the U.S. general population.

Methodology/principal findings: Cross-sectional associations of serum OC pesticides with serum 25(OH)D were investigated in 1,275 subjects aged ≥20 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003-2004. We selected 7 OC pesticides detectable in ≥80% of participants. Among the 7 OC pesticides, p,p'-DDT (β = -0.022, P<0.01), p,p'-DDE (β = -0.018, P = 0.04), and β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β = -0.022, P = 0.02) showed significant inverse associations with serum 25(OH)D levels. When study subjects were stratified by age, race, and the presence of various chronic diseases, p,p'-DDT showed consistent inverse associations in all subgroups, although stronger associations tended to be observed among subjects with old age, white race, or chronic diseases.

Conclusion/significance: The current study suggests that the background exposure to some OC pesticides leads to vitamin D deficiency in human. Considering the importance of vitamin D deficiency in the development of chronic diseases, chemical exposure as a possible cause of vitamin D deficiency should be evaluated in prospective and experimental studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Spline regression of serum concentration of p,p′-DDT on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels (ng/ml).
The curve was adjusted for gender, age, race, BMI, smoking status, outdoor activity, and vitamin D supplement. The distribution of p,p′-DDT among study subjects was added below the X-axis. The increasing trend of vitamin D was mainly driven by only a very small number of subjects with very high p,p′-DDT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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