Scientists from the University of Michigan found that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—a large and diverse group of industrial chemicals found in many everyday products—is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes in midlife women.
The research is published in Diabetologia and was conducted by Dr. Sung Kyun Park et al.
PFAS are a group of more than 4,700 synthetic chemicals, first developed in the 1940s and which are widely used in industry as well as in consumer products such as non-stick cookware, water, and stain-repellent coatings, food packaging, carpeting, firefighting foam, and even cosmetics.
PFAS has high durability to persist and accumulate in the environment as well as in the bodies of humans and animals where they can remain for years, leading to them being referred to as “forever chemicals”.
At least one type of PFAS was present in the blood samples of nearly every American tested by the US Biomonitoring Program, and they were also detected in the drinking water supply of more than 200 million people in the U.S.
A recent review suggests that exposure to some may be associated with pre-eclampsia, altered levels of liver enzymes, increased blood fats, decreased antibody response to vaccines, and low birth weight.
In the study, the team examined 1237 women with a median age of 49.4 years who had been monitored from 1999-to 2000 through to 2017.
The team found that higher serum concentrations of certain PFAS were linked to a higher risk of incident diabetes in midlife women.
The joint effects of PFAS mixtures were greater than those for individual PFAS, suggesting a potential additive or synergistic effect of multiple PFAS on diabetes risk.
The team found that combined exposure to the seven different PFAS had a stronger association with diabetes risk than was seen with individual compounds.
Women in the ‘high’ tertile for all seven were 2.62 times more likely to develop diabetes than those in the ‘low’ category, while increased risk associated with each individual PFAS ranged from 36% to 85%, suggesting a potential additive or synergistic effect of multiple PFAS on diabetes risk.
The strength of the association between combined exposure and incident diabetes rates also suggests that PFAS may have substantial clinical impacts on diabetes risk.
The team says that given the widespread exposure to PFAS in the general population, the expected benefit of reducing exposure to these ubiquitous chemicals might be considerable.
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