BPA May Reduce Insulin Sensitivity in Humans, Study Shows

7:08 AM ETDeveloping

Science Desk

In Short: A new study provides the first experimental evidence in humans that short-term BPA exposure can impair insulin sensitivity, raising concerns about its safety even at low doses.

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A study from California Polytechnic State University and Rutgers University found that even low doses of BPA can reduce insulin sensitivity in healthy adults, linking the chemical to potential health issues.

The research, published in ScienceAlert, involved 20 healthy adults who ingested a low dose of BPA for five days, resulting in a 9 percent decrease in peripheral insulin sensitivity compared to a placebo group.

The findings suggest that BPA, commonly used in food and beverage packaging, may interfere with insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle, with implications for public health.

What's still developing

US health guidelines might say yes, but the first experimental evidence in humans has now found that ingesting BPA, even at low doses, may reduce insulin sensitivity in the short term.
"These results provide the first published experimental evidence in humans that short-term oral BPA administration may impair insulin sensitivity," conclude researchers at California Polytechnic State University (CPSU) and Rutgers University.
What's more, population-wide studies among humans have found higher levels of BPA exposure are linked to numerous health issues, including fertility and reproductive problems, altered neurodevelopment, cardiovascular issues, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance.
Even among healthy adults, however, some evidence suggests unwanted effects could occur at doses the EPA currently considers safe.
The authors could not fully distinguish between insulin sensitivity in the periphery and in the liver, but they found no difference in a commonly used index of the latter.
"[They] carry important clinical and public health implications, suggesting that BPA exposure, even at doses currently considered 'safe,' may contribute to the development of insulin resistance." Larger trials are needed to see how these findings generalize to the rest of the population, but the short-term changes are concerning, especially when they are put into context.

Sources

ScienceAlertlink