Chronic Conditions and Diseases
Chronic Conditions and Diseases
PFAS and Gestational Diabetes
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PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” are a class of harmful chemicals present in everyday items like nonstick cookware, water/stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging and cosmetics; they are also regularly released from industrial sites, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants.
Research on PFAS and diabetes has been growing over the past decade, but the results have sometimes been inconsistent. Earlier reviews tended to focus on a narrow set of older PFAS and on diabetes diagnoses alone. They often did not look closely at newer PFAS, real-world chemical mixtures or early biological changes and warning signs (like insulin resistance or pancreatic function) that can show up long before diabetes is formally diagnosed.
This study set out to fill those gaps. The authors conducted the most comprehensive review to date of human studies examining PFAS exposure and diabetes-related outcomes. They pulled together evidence from more than 100 epidemiological studies looking not only at gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes but also at detailed markers of blood sugar control, insulin resistance and insulin production.
The clearest and most consistent finding was a link between higher PFAS exposure and increased risk of gestational diabetes. People with higher levels of several PFAS in their blood, especially PFOS, were more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy. The review also found that PFAS exposure is associated with insulin resistance and higher insulin levels, suggesting that these chemicals may interfere with how the body regulates blood sugar even before diabetes develops.
Evidence linking PFAS to type 2 or type 1 diabetes was less consistent, and changes in standard blood sugar measures like fasting glucose and HbA1c were generally small. Many of the studies were observational, meaning they can point to patterns but cannot prove cause and effect.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that PFAS may disrupt metabolic health in subtle ways, particularly during pregnancy.
REFERENCES
Associations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances with markers of glycaemic control, insulin secretion and sensitivity, and diabetes risk: a systematic review and meta-analyses. India Aldana, Sandra et al. eClinicalMedicine, Volume 0, Issue 0, 103747.
