Study: Common substance in plastic containers may affect insulin sensitivity - Sarmad
A recent study has shown that exposure to doses of bisphenol A (BPA) for five days may lead to a decrease in the body's insulin sensitivity, suggesting a potential role for the chemical in blood sugar regulation.
The scientific website Science Alert reported on Wednesday that the study, conducted by researchers at the California Polytechnic State University and Rutgers University, found a roughly 9 percent decrease in peripheral insulin sensitivity among healthy adults who received BPA for five days, compared with a group that received a placebo.
The study included 40 normal-weight adults who were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received a daily dose of BPA equivalent to 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, while the other group received a placebo. All participants followed a standardized diet.
At the end of the trial period, BPA levels in the urine of participants who ingested the substance increased, and tests showed a decline in peripheral insulin sensitivity. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in body weight or fasting blood glucose levels between the two groups.
Researchers suggest that this effect may be related to how skeletal muscles handle glucose in response to insulin, as the results did not show a clear change in the marker used to assess hepatic insulin resistance.
The researchers emphasized that the findings are insufficient to generalize the effect to all populations, given the small sample size and the fact that participants were healthy adults. They noted the need for additional studies involving larger and more diverse populations.
The study's results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
BPA is widely used in various plastic products and industrial materials. Previous observational studies have linked exposure to BPA with certain metabolic disorders, but the current study provides, according to the researchers, the first experimental evidence in humans of a potential impact on insulin sensitivity.
