Reviews
This review identified 63 scientific reviews on EDCs and obesity with policy recommendations, of which 26 suggested individual responsibility to avoid exposure, 11 suggested medical interventions to counter the effects of exposure, and 42 suggested regulatory control of hazardous chemicals. Of sixty policy documents examined, six mentioned pollutants as a possible risk factor for obesity, and only one made explicit reference to strategies for reducing exposure to EDCs. Lobstein and Brownell, Obes Rev.
This review highlights the complexity of EDCs interfering with thyroid function through their interactions with other hormonal axes involved in reproduction, stress, and energy metabolism. EDC-derived effects are likely to cascade into a plurality of physiological effects far more complex than the few variables tested within any research studies. Thambirajah et al. Environ Res.
Environmental Chemicals: Human Studies
Among the general adult population of Korea, both Pb and Hg exposures were associated with an increased risk of obesity, and Hg and Cd exposures were associated with increased odds of NAFLD. These metals, however, were not associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Moon et al. Environ Res.
Significant associations with leptin, leptin receptor, and resistin at age 9 years were observed for serum-PFAS concentrations at 18 months and 5 and 9 years. Associations for PFAS concentrations at birth were mostly null, except for a positive association between serum-PFHxS at birth and leptin receptor at birth.(Faroe Islands). Shih et al. Environ Res.
The mixture of 31 chemicals, including PFAS, PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides, was inversely associated with postnatal body size (up to 19 months of age). Marks et al. Early Hum Dev.
Detectable imidacloprid was associated with lower fasting plasma insulin levels and lower odds of insulin resistance. Acetamiprid was associated with higher glucose in males and lower glucose in women, as was imidacloprid with HbA1c. Some associations were modified by age or BMI. Vuong et al. Chemosphere.
Found positive associations between PBDEs with glucose and cholesterol levels during pregnancy, and negative associations between some phthalate biomarkers and cholesterol. There was no relationship for BPA or PFAS with cardiometabolic indices during pregnancy (Cincinnati, Ohio). Vuong et al. Environ Int.
Intake of lean fish, but not fatty fish or omega-3 supplements, was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes in Norwegian women who were overweight or obese. Fatty fish, which contain dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, did not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but the exceedance of the EFSA tolerable weekly intake for dioxins and PCBs is a health concern. Øyen et al. Diabetes Care.
Total blood mercury and blood methylmercury concentrations were inversely associated with diabetes in adults with higher selenium intake (U.S.). Zhang et al. J Trace Elem Med Biol.
Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) are derivatives of PAHs and tend to be more toxic. Nitro-PAHs are released into the environment from combustion of fossil fuels and post-emission transformation of PAHs. In this study, higher concentrations of the nitro-PAH 9-aminophenanthrene were significantly associated with increasing glucose levels. He et al. Environ Pollut.
Environmental Chemicals: Laboratory Studies
Assessed interlaboratory variability of efficacy and potency outcomes for triglyceride accumulation and pre-adipocyte proliferation using a pre-adipocyte cell assay to test chemicals (blinded). The magnitude and range of bioactivities reported varied considerably across laboratories and test conditions, though the presence or absence of activity for each tested chemical was more consistent. Kassotis et al. Toxicology.
In mice, at human relevant doses. Marchlewicz et al. Chemosphere.
Air Pollution
In predominantly Latinx low-income children in Fresno, CA, HDL cholesterol showed an inverse association with NO2 and NOx, oxidative stress (8-isoprostane) showed a consistent pattern of increasing values with 1-day and 1-week exposure across all pollutants, and non-significant increases in % HbA1c were found during 1-month time frames. Zhang et al. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol.
Higher PM2.5 exposure levels were associated with higher HbA1c and lower vitamin D levels, and HbA1c decreased as vitamin D increased. Mediation analysis showed that serum 25(OH)D status mediated the association between HbA1c and PM2.5 exposure. The results suggest a vicious cycle among PM2.5 exposure, lower serum VD status and a higher HbA1c (China). Li et al. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf.
Higher short-term particulate matter levels were linked to higher fasting blood glucose levels. Zhan et al. Environ Pollut.
Chemicals and the Gut
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) is a substitute for PFOA. HFPO-DA exposure caused inflammation in the colon, dysfunction of gut barrier in the colon, and the imbalance of cecal gut microbiota and changes of cecal microbiota diversity. Xie et al. Environ Pollut.
Reviews how various xenoestrogens, including BPA, phthalates, and phytoestrogens, affect the gut microbiome in vertebrate species. Rosenfeld, Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res.
Diabetes Incidence and Prevalence
In six areas of the US from 2001 to 2017, the prevalence of diabetes among children and adolescents increased for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 prevalence increased by 45%, especially in whites and Blacks, while type 2 diabetes prevalence nearly doubled, especially in Blacks and Hispanics. Lawrence et al. JAMA. See related article from Medpage Today, More and More U.S. Kids Being Diagnosed With Diabetes.
The rate of gestational diabetes increased in U.S. women from all race and ethnicity groups from 2011 to 2019, with an overall average increase of 3.7% per year. Rates of pre-gestational diabetes (i.e., diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy) at first birth also increased. Shah et al. JAMA. Also see related article in Medpage Today, Gestational Diabetes Rates Climb Among All Racial, Ethnic Groups.
|
|
|
|
