Phthalates and Insulin Resistance

Yesterday I touched on a few of the latest pieces of research on BPA, but in addition to this there was another related piece concerning a topic we've covered here at Achoo! before – phthalates. Phthalates are a plasticizing agent, a chemical commonly added to other materials to provide flexibility and resiliency. Previous research suggests that one possible consequence of exposure to phthalates in adults is an increased insulin resistance, often a precursor to Type II Diabetes. A research piece published yesterday in Pediatrics adds more credence to this previous notion with a study involving 766 adolescents and phthalates.

_One of the most commonly used phthalates is di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP). From flooring to catheter tubing, DEHP is commonly used, but likely most frequently, DEHP is found in the packaging of many types of processed foods. This last source is generally the way in which most people are exposed to phthalates, through the consumption of processed foods with packaging containing the agent.

_This latest study examined adolescents, levels of DEHP in urine samples and the connection to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when cells in the body become resistant to insulin, which in turn causes the pancreas to produce increased amounts of insulin, which can lead to hyperglycemia and ultimately Type II Diabetes. Insulin resistance is often the first step in the path to diabetes.

_Even when accounting for the normal set of variants as well as the role BPA could play in this study, researchers found that elevated levels of the phthalate DEHP in urine samples correlated to a higher rate of insulin resistance in adolescents. This study is consistent with previous research that shows a similar correlation with adults. With other phthalates measured, there was an association with insulin resistance but only with DEHP was it strong enough to be a correlation.

_None of this is meant to utterly simplify the relationship between phthalates and possible health consequences as there are many questions that remain unanswered. Is this correlation due to insulin resistant children often having poor diets, eating more processed foods and thus have higher level of DEHP? Do phthalates have a greater impact at younger ages? What about specific factors that may skew or influence the levels of DEHP like mechanism that can cause specific children to metabolize (break down) the compound at different rates, causing different results in urine tests? These questions, and more, remain, but this study provides another diverse but specific age group where the link between levels of phthalates and insulin resistance are evident.

_To read the full research paper on phthalates and insulin resistance.

_Author: Kevin Gilmore

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