Association of exposure to phenols and parabens mixtures with grip strength among adults in the United States: A cross-sectional study

Previous research has indicated potential health hazards of phenols and parabens from environmental exposure to humans. However, studies examining their relationship with grip strength remain limited. Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study included 1,858 adults aged 20 years and older to explore the independent and combined associations of phenols and parabens with grip strength. In single exposure analyses, bisphenol A (BPA) exhibited a negative association with grip strength, while benzophenone-3 (BP3) and butyl paraben (BuP) showed positive associations. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) regression indicated a U-shaped nonlinear relationship between BPA and grip strength across all participants. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models revealed a negative association between combined exposure to various metals in urine and grip strength. Quantile based g-computation (qgcomp) analysis suggested positive weights for urinary mixture of BuP, BPA, and methyl paraben (MeP), whereas 2,5-dichlorophenol (25-DCB), propyl paraben (PrP), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (24-DCB) had negative weights. Subgroup analyses indicated significant differences in results across age and gender subgroups. Given the limitations of cross-sectional studies, prospective and mechanistic investigations are warranted in future research.