Sex differences in the association of urinary bisphenol-A concentration with selected indices of glucose homeostasis among U.S. adults

Abstract

Purpose Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to endocrine disruptors may initiate or exacerbate adiposity and associated health problems. This study examined sex differences in the association of urinary level of bisphenol-A (BPA) with selected indices of glucose homeostasis among U.S. adults. Methods Data analyses were performed using a sample of 1,586 participants from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. BPA level and the ratio of BPA-to-creatinine level were defined as log-transformed variables and in quartiles. Selected indices of glucose homeostasis were defined using fasting glucose and insulin data. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models for the hypothesized relationships were constructed after controlling for age, sex, race, education, marital status, smoking status, physical activity, total dietary intake and urinary creatinine concentration. Results Taking 1st quartile as a referent, 3rd quartile of BPA level was positively associated with log-transformed level of insulin and β-cell function (HOMA-β) as well as insulin resistance (log-transformed HOMA-IR; HOMA-IR≥2.5), with significant BPA-by-sex interaction; these associations were stronger among males than among females. Irrespective of sex, the ratio of BPA-to-creatinine level was not predictive of indices of glucose homeostasis. Conclusions A complex association may exist between BPA and hyperinsulinemia among adult U.S. men. Prospective cohort studies are needed to further elucidate endocrine disruptors as determinants of adiposity-related disturbances.

High-fat diet aggravates glucose homeostasis disorder caused by chronic exposure to bisphenol A

“…These results further indicated that BPA may disrupt blood glucose homeostasis and damage pancreas function in STD-and HFD-fed rats. The increased insulin resistance and disrupted glucose homeostasis reported in the rodents of the study of Alonso-Magdalena et al (2006) and our present study were also reported by Beydoun et al (2013) in adults in the USA with higher BPA burden.…”

“…To limit the bias of misclassification, circulating levels of fasting glucose and insulin were used to study the association of BPA and insulin resistance. Recently, positive associations of BPA levels with insulin resistance have been observed in middleaged and elderly Chinese adults (Wang et al 2012), as well as in adults in the USA (Beydoun et al 2013). Furthermore, a positive association of urinary BPA levels with pre-diabetes among non-diabetic adults in the USA has been reported by Sabanayagam et al (2013).…”

“…In addition, a positive association of BPA levels with obesity and insulin resistance in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults has been reported by Wang et al (2012). Increasing urinary BPA levels have been reported to be positively associated with pre-diabetes among adults in the USA (Sabanayagam et al 2013), as well as with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia among adults in the USA (Beydoun et al 2013). In contrast, population-based studies in adults from the USA, China, and Korea have not found any significant association between higher urinary BPA concentrations and T2DM (Melzer et al 2010, Ning et al 2011, Kim & Park 2013.…”

Bisphenol-A Treatment During Pregnancy in Mice: A New Window of Susceptibility for the Development of Diabetes in Mothers Later in Life

“…Studies in animal models as well as human epidemiological studies have shown that some EDCs can impair pancreatic ␤-cell function and induce insulin resistance at concentrations found in human plasma (2,3). Thus, there is growing concern that EDCs may act as diabetogenic agents and elicit important metabolic disorders, including diabetes (3)(4)(5)(6)(7).…”

Polluted Pathways: Mechanisms of Metabolic Disruption by Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

“…Global insulin resistance associated with MDC exposure is supported by epidemiologic, animal, and molecular studies [5]. Human exposures to a wide variety of chemicals have been associated with insulin resistance, including BPA [42,43], particulate matter (PM) [44], 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo dioxin (TCDD) [45], and phthalates [46,47]. The precise mechanisms by which these chemicals promote insulin resistance are discussed below.…”