Do dirty air and plastics make your belly bigger?
Associations between exposure to environmental pollutants, metabolic syndrome risk, and obesity-related anthropometric indices.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists checked if chemicals in air, food, and plastics affect body shape and blood sugar in people from Saudi Arabia.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 547 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists checked if chemicals in air, food, and plastics affect body shape and blood sugar in people from Saudi Arabia.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 547 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Al-Saleh I, Elkhatib R, Alswayeh R, Al-Rouqi R, Baali M, Aljerayed Y, De Padua SS, Alnuwaysir H, Hussein G, Sultana H, Yousaf N, Waqar A, Alhusayn K, Khan S, Shammama A, Aldowaish A, Alkattabi F, Almansour G, Mohamed G, Devol E
Related Content
Claims (6)
Studies in humans have found that higher exposure to certain chemicals called bisphenol A and phthalates is linked to a greater chance of dying from heart disease, developing metabolic problems, and experiencing reproductive issues.
In adults, higher levels of multiple heavy metals in the blood, such as cadmium and mercury, are linked to small increases in measures of central body fat, compared to exposure to single metals.
Adults with higher levels of a common air pollutant in their urine tend to have slightly more abdominal fat distribution, as measured by two specific body shape indices, compared to those with lower levels.
In children under 18, higher levels of lead and DEHP metabolites in the body are linked to lower levels of diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and fat around the waist, but it is not known whether this relationship is direct or why it occurs.
In adults, higher levels of cadmium in the blood are associated with a slight increase in waist-to-height ratio and conicity index, which indicate more fat around the waist, and also with a small decrease in fasting blood glucose levels.