Greater exposure to a group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals — known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — is linked to a greater risk of developing diabetes in women, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetologia.
Also known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down over time in the environment, PFAS are present — at widely varying levels, depending on many different factors — in drinking water, foods, consumer products, and even the air, as noted in an article on the study at Healio. While PFAS have been linked to many different health problems — including high blood cholesterol levels, thyroid problems, and certain forms of cancer — for the latest study, researchers were interested in evaluating their role in chronic diseases in women during or after menopause. The researchers evaluated several different environmental pollutants, not just PFAS.
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The study participants were 1,237 women ages 45 to 56 who didn’t have diabetes at the time they were recruited, in 1999 and 2000. Their median age was 49.4, and 52% were white. Based on the results of blood tests, participants were ranked in their overall exposure to seven different types of PFAS. During follow-up visits as part of the study, participants were defined as having diabetes if they had a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or greater during two consecutive visits, if they had two visits with self-reported diabetes, or if they used any blood-glucose-lowering medications.
Diabetes risk linked to PFAS exposure
During an average follow-up period of over 13 years, 102 participants developed diabetes. After adjusting for several different factors — including participants’ race or ethnicity, location, education levels, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity level, and body-mass index (a measure of body weight that takes height into account) — the researchers found that participants who were in the top third for PFAS exposure were more likely to develop diabetes than those in the bottom third. The amount of this increased risk varied by type of PFAS — it was 67% higher for n-PFOA, 58% higher for PFHxS, 36% higher for Sm-PFOS, and 85% higher for MeFOSAA. For the sum of four common types of PFAS (n-PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and total PFOS), the risk of developing diabetes was 64% higher.
What’s more, when the researchers looked at participants who were in the top third for a mixture of seven different types of PFAS — rather than looking at exposure to each chemical individually — they found that these people were, stunningly, 162% more likely to develop diabetes than those in the bottom third.
“This study suggests that PFAS may increase diabetes risk in midlife women,” the researchers concluded. “Reduced exposure to these ‘forever and everywhere chemicals’ may be an important preventative approach to lowering population-wide diabetes risk.”
Want to learn more about chemicals and diabetes? Read “Are Endocrine Disruptors Disrupting Your Life?” “Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Common In Fast Food Items,” and “Report Calls for Action to Reduce Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals.”