
- A new study has revealed that reducing exposure to the common chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- The research is the first to provide evidence that BPA may elevate diabetes risk.
- The study underscores the need for public Health guidelines to consider the impact of BPA, found in many everyday plastic products, on insulin sensitivity and diabetes risk.
A new study is the first to demonstrate that BPA exposure might elevate the risk of type 2 diabetes, underscoring the need for further investigation into the impact of these chemicals on human Health.
The findings were presented by study author Todd Hagopian, PhD, a scientist with the Cal Poly Center for Health Research, at the 84th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Orlando, FL.
Although BPA is associated with diabetes, there has not been a direct study examining whether BPA exposure increases this risk in adults.
While BPA is known to disrupt hormone function and is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), the research linking BPA exposure directly to T2D in adults is often associative rather than causal.
This means that while correlations have been observed, direct cause-and-effect relationships have not been definitively established in all studies until now.
In a double-blind study, participants were given either a placebo or BPA at the US EPA’s safe dose (50 μg/kg body weight) for 4 days to evaluate its impact on insulin sensitivity.
The study included forty healthy, non-active adults (22 females, 18 males) who first completed a 2-day low-BPA diet. During this period, researchers measured urine and blood samples, as well as peripheral insulin sensitivity, using a 120-minute euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp.
Participants were then randomly assigned to follow a 4-day diet with either oral BPA (50 μg/kg) or a placebo, without knowing which one they received.
The outcomes were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, adjusting for sex, BMI, physical activity, and ethnicity.
The study indicates that bisphenol A (BPA) found in food packaging may directly affect diabetes risk in adults, influencing public health guidelines and policies.
“Given that diabetes is a leading cause of death in the US, it is crucial to understand even the smallest factors that contribute to the disease,” Hagobian said in a news release.
“We were surprised to see that reducing BPA exposure, such as using stainless steel or glass bottles and BPA-free cans, may lower diabetes risk. These results suggest that maybe the US EPA safe dose should be reconsidered and that Healthcare providers could suggest these changes to patients.”