Researchers have found that PFAS, or everlasting pollutants, impact the heart health of postmenopausal women.
- Higher PFOA levels promote the development of coronary microvascular disease and are associated with higher levels of the amino acids isoleucine, leucine, and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
- Higher levels of PFOS, linked to coronary heart disease, are correlated with lower levels of isoleucine and leucine.
- According to this new study, each PFAS is associated with a distinct set of pro-inflammatory proteins.
Kitchen utensils, clothing, food packaging… Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impact everyone’s health… But, according to a new study published in the journal Toxicological Sciencesthese “eternal chemicals” have particularly harmful consequences on the hearts of postmenopausal women.
Postmenopausal women, heavily impacted by PFAS
Before menopause—through childbirth, breastfeeding, and menstruation—women excrete more PFAS than men. But afterward, these pollutants build up and can cause problems.
To study the impact of these substances on their heart health, researchers from University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciencesin the United States, analyzed data and samples from 70 postmenopausal women in Türkiye. Among the participants, about a third had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery diseasewhich is the most common form of heart disease. Another third suffered from coronary microvascular disease (coronary microvascular disease in French), a pathology that affects the small arteries of the heart muscle. Finally, the last third showed no signs of heart problems.
The researchers tested the samples for the presence and levels of several types of these perennial chemical pollutants:
- Two “old” long-chain PFAS: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), “whose uses have been very strongly restricted at the international level, respectively since 2009 and 2020, are still frequently measured in the environment“, according to the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSES).
- A new short-chain PFAS chemical: perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS).
The team then looked for relationships between PFAS levels and the various heart conditions found in postmenopausal women.
PFAS impact metabolites and proteins differently
“We found that PFOS was strongly associated with coronary heart disease, while PFOA was more associated with coronary microvascular disease“, explains Madak-Erdogan, one of the authors, in a communicated.
Scientists observed that PFOS and PFOA impacted blood proteins in postmenopausal women and caused inflammation. But not all PFAS had the same impact on metabolites, something the researchers didn’t expect.
Thus, higher levels of PFOA, which promotes the development of coronary microvascular disease, were associated with higher levels of the amino acids isoleucine, leucine, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, higher levels of PFOS, which are linked to coronary artery disease, were correlated with lower levels of isoleucine and leucine. Another difference: each perennial pollutant (PFOA, PFOS, and PFBS) was associated with a distinct set of pro-inflammatory proteins.
Researchers point out that there is no way to eliminate PFAS from the body. Thus, for them, the best prevention remains to limit, throughout one’s life, the objects containing these chemical substances.
“We need more education on how we can reduce our exposure to PFAS, concludes Madak-Erdogan. More action is also needed to regulate and reduce the entry of these chemicals into the environment..”
