Bisphenol-A Linked to Insulin Resistance in Diabetic Patients

Muhammad Sajid Hamid Akash, MD

New data from Pakistan detailed the effect that the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) had on insulin resistance susceptibility on patients with diabetes.

The study was presented at the The Metabolic Institute of America (TMIOA) 2021 World Congress Insulin Resistance Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease (WCIRDC) meeting this week.

Muhammad Sajid Hamid Akash, MD, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan, and fellow investigators cited bisphenol-A as “one of the most harmful endocrine-disrupting chemicals” , and referenced its frequent use for the preparation of resins and plastic products.

Bisphenol-A is often widely found in resinous lining of everyday object including beverages, juice cans, water containers and baby bottles.

For the present study, Akash and investigators aimed to investigate the exposure of BPA in the human population, while also detailing its association with multiple risk factors that may cause impairment in insulin secretion from β-cells of pancreatic islets and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues accompanying various with metabolic disorders.

The Methods

Akash and colleagues recruited a total of 400 participants, both with and without diabetes mellitus (DM), in the cross-sectional study.

The team then created structured questionnaire that was employed to obtain the sociodemographic data from study participants.

From there, the blood and urine samples were collected from each participant, and biochemical analysis was performed to determine the risk factors that were capable of increasing the insulin resistance in peripheral tissues and impaired insulin secretion from β-cells of pancreatic islets.

The Findings

In their study, Akash and colleagues outlined multiple underlying mechanisms that supported the key role of Bisphenol-A exposure in insulin resistance.

Notable mechanisms included oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and inflammation.

Akash and investigators also determined the Pearson correlation coefficient for observing the relationship between Bisphenol-A exposure and risk factors that could induce the insulin resistance in peripheral tissues.

The team found significant negative correlations between human bisphenol-A exposure and the levels of antioxidant enzymes in participants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione (GSH) among those in the diabetic group as compared to non-diabetic participants who showed a nonsignificant correlation.

However, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) exhibited a significant positive correlation with urinary BPA exposure in both participants with and without DM.

The investigators hypothesized that exposure of bisphenol-A could also provoke some predefined inflammatory mediators such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukine-6 (IL-6) significantly among diabetic participants, which would result in increased insulin resistance.

“Hence, the significant positive correlation of glycemic control parameters i.e., random blood glucose (RBC) and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) with urinary BPA exposure provided a clear indication that individuals with diabetes mellitus were more prone to develop insulin resistance due to BPA exposure as compared to non-diabetic participants,” the team wrote

“Insulin Resistance Susceptibility is associated with BPD exposure,” was published online by WCIRDC.