PFAS exposure linked to higher type 2 diabetes risk

A new US study finds that exposure to polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Mount Sinai researchers compared people with and without this chronic condition and measured their “forever chemicals” levels, finding those with higher levels had a greater risk (31%) of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.

The study in EBioMedicine suggests that the association between PFAS and blood sugar regulation could be because of metabolic irregularities in amino acid biosynthesis and drug metabolism. 

“PFAS are synthetic chemicals that resist heat, oil, water, and stains, and are found in countless everyday consumer products,” says Vishal Midya, Ph.D., MStat, corresponding author and Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

“Because they don’t break down easily, PFAS accumulate in the environment and in human bodies. Our study is one of the first to examine how these chemicals may disrupt the body’s metabolism in ways that increase diabetes risk — particularly in diverse US populations.”

PFAS have been linked to decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

Studying multiethnic population

The study analyzed blood samples of 180 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 180 similar people without the condition, who were matched based on age, sex, and ancestry.

“This research leverages an exposomics framework to characterize environmental impacts and associated metabolic alterations contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes in vulnerable US populations,” says senior author Damaskini Valvi, MD, Ph.D., MPH, and associate professor of Public Health and Environmental Medicine, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The findings may help design more effective interventions for the early prevention of type 2 diabetes in the future.“The findings can help us design more effective interventions for the early prevention of type 2 diabetes in the future, taking into account individuals’ exposures to environmental chemicals along with other well-known genetic, clinical, and lifestyle factors implicated in diabetes development.”

He adds that growing research suggests that PFAS raises risks of chronic diseases, such as obesity, liver disease, and diabetes.

Linking genetic and environmental data

The researchers call for further research and more participants to better understand the impact of PFAS on human metabolism. This includes studying life stages from preconception to elderly.

They note that environmental and genetic data must be integrated to understand better how they interact with human metabolism and contribute to chronic disease.

The researchers carried out the observational case-control study within a larger cohort study in BioMe, a large health database of over 70,000 study participants seeking care at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City since 2007.

PFAS impacting health 

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK, recently discovered that certain gut microbes can absorb PFAS. Nutrition Insight spoke to the lead researcher, who co-founded Cambiotics to launch a PFAS-flushing supplement next year.

We also looked at research showing how PFAS in breastmilk may trigger immune-related issues while impacting the gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis, insulin resistance, and obesity.

Tjerk Dalhuisen of the Pesticide Action Network Europe told us that PFAS pollution is inseparable from current food and nutrition systems. “We even allow PFAS pesticides to be sprayed on fields and food. Some of these do break down and produce trifluoroacetic acid — the small and very persistent PFAS that pollutes our drinking water everywhere.”