FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EXPOSOME DURING ADOLESCENCE: THE ROLE OF XENOESTROGENS IN HORMONAL AND METABOLIC REGULATION

Abstract

Adolescence represents an important window of opportunity for health, characterized by intense biological plasticity and reactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. During this period, nutritional, metabolic, and environmental factors may interact with the processes of pubertal maturation. Among these exposures, endocrine disruptors and xenoestrogens stand out, including zearalenone (ZEA), a mycotoxin found mainly in cereals and derived products. This study aimed to analyze the potential role of functional nutrition in the context of the exposome during adolescence, with emphasis on the possible effects of xenoestrogens on hormonal and metabolic regulation and on the nutritional mechanisms involved in their modulation. This is an exploratory literature review based on the analysis of technical and scientific studies on pubertal maturation, endocrine disruptors, zearalenone, gut microbiota, epigenetic mechanisms, and bioactive food compounds. The studies analyzed indicate that exposure to endocrine disruptors may interact with hormonal, metabolic, and neuroendocrine pathways related to pubertal maturation. ZEA exhibits estrogenic activity and the ability to interact with estrogen receptors, while alterations in the gut microbiota and epigenetic mechanisms may contribute to effects associated with exposure to contaminants. In this context, dietary components may have the potential to modulate biotransformation pathways, antioxidant responses, and metabolic and epigenetic mechanisms. However, the available evidence does not yet establish that nutritional interventions are capable of neutralizing or preventing these effects. Functional nutrition may constitute a potentially modulatory approach to the interaction between the organism and the exposome during adolescence, although further clinical and population-based studies are needed.