In this study (Reimann 2025), the researchers wanted to lear…
In this study (Reimann 2025), the researchers wanted to learn if exposure to certain pollutants in childhood can affect the expression of satiety hormones. In particular, they focused on parabens, a class of chemicals commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics. The researchers carried out a simple experiment wherein they measured levels of parabens and satiety hormones in children (4-6 year olds). The following table lists their results: the hormones are listed on the left, and the three different parabens they measured in the second column. You can essentially ignore the complex statistics in the 3rd and 4th columns and you should safely assume the question the table is trying to answer is: are there statistically significant differences in hormone expression in response to exposure to parabens? Based on this figure, what would you advise parents worried about preservatives’ effects on their child’s normal, healthy development?