We could not link age with internal dioxin levels, but other investigators have done so (Warner et al., 2005 and Dhooge et al., 2006). INK1197 A relatively strong association was found between smoking and plasma androgenic activity, which increased with approximately 20%. Smoking has been reported

to increase serum Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) and total testosterone levels, but no clear differences in bioavailable testosterone were seen (English et al., 2001). Tobacco smoke consists of a mixture of endocrine disrupting toxicants, such as PAHs (Arcaro et al., 1999) and cadmium (Henson and Chedrese, 2004). Possibly, these chemicals are able to directly activate androgen receptors without altering the level of endogenous bioavailable testosterone. The increased androgenic activity associated with alcohol consumption also seems unlikely to result from elevated endogenous testosterone (Svartberg et al., 2003) and could reflect a receptor-activating

potential of e.g. ethanol, phytoestrogens, or other constituents. Based on the current data, however, we can only speculate about the explanations for the increased androgenic plasma activities in smokers and heavy drinkers. The effect estimates for the use of personal care products were inconclusive. Many personal care products contain a mixture of phthalates, parabens, solvents, and UV screens, for which different endocrine disrupting properties have been reported (McKim et al., 2001, Harvey and Darbre,

2004 and Main et al., 2006). In order to draw conclusions about the effects of personal care Epigenetics Compound Library in vivo products on the total plasma androgenic and estrogenic activities, Dapagliflozin a more detailed exposure assessment method is required. A different population recruitment strategy that would capture men with higher exposure levels could give more insight into the effects of personal care products as well. Due to small numbers, we could not reliably assess the effects of regular consumption of phytoestrogens in soy. For the intake of animal fats, which are sources of persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (Bilau et al., 2008), no associations with estrogenic or androgenic activities were found. Comparing the data on current dietary habits with the DR CALUX® measurements provided some indications for increased internal dioxin levels among men with high intakes of chicken and eggs (Supplemental Table 1). But the intake of beef, pork, and dairy products seemed to be inversely associated with plasma TEQs, which was unexpected. We examined confounding by other determinants including the other dietary intake variables and hypothesized that a high intake of chicken or eggs could be associated with a low intake of beef and pork or dairy, resulting in the inverse associations. After adjustment for intake of chicken and eggs, however, even smaller betas were found.