Eternal chemicals known by the abbreviation PFAS, which have toxic effects on the human body, are being linked by scientists anew to a serious pregnancy complication, gestational diabetes. This is according to a new meta-analysis by scientists from New York, who say that pregnant women exposed to these substances have a higher risk of developing the disease.
PFAS, i.e. per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that do not break down in the body. They enter the body, for example, from non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles or food packaging and accumulate in important organs. They are linked to organ damage, reproductive complications and some types of cancer. Practically all people are exposed to them, starting from the prenatal period.
The research team analyzed 79 human and animal studies that examined the relationship between PFAS, diabetes and pregnancy. He found that higher exposure to PFAS is repeatedly associated with increased insulin resistance in pregnant women and with a higher incidence of gestational diabetes. It affects up to one in ten pregnant women in the US and its incidence has been increasing in the last decade.
“This is the most comprehensive summary of evidence to date on how PFAS exposure relates not only to diabetes risk, but also to clinical markers that precede the disease,” said study co-author Dr. Sandra India-Aldana from New York University.
“Our findings suggest that pregnancy may be a particularly sensitive time when PFAS exposure increases the risk of gestational diabetes,” she added. Gestational diabetes can have long-term consequences, for example a higher birth weight of more than four kilograms, premature birth or a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life. Mothers are at risk of high blood pressure and developing diabetes in the future. The study was published in the journal eClinical Medicine.
