Might Toxic Chemicals Cause Diabetes? Research Suggests Yes

Many of us might be starting to detox from toxic chemicals in our everyday environment. This can help improve fertility and overall health. Did you know that it may also reduce the risk of diabetes? Read on to learn more about toxic chemicals and the link to diabetes.

What exactly is diabetes? And what causes it?



Blood Sugar and Diabetes

The food you eat has energy in the form of sugar. After a meal, the sugars from food enter the blood to be used by the cells as energy. The amount of sugar in the blood is called blood sugar. Too high or too low blood sugar is unhealthy.

Diabetes occurs when a person’s body is not able to balance blood sugar levels. 

I Just Ate Lunch. Now What Happens?

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It helps your cells accept sugar from the blood. The cells then use the sugar as energy.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of all diabetes cases. In type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin, but the body is not able to use it. This is called insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes is most often seen in adults, although it is becoming increasingly common in children. A number of risk factors can lead to the disease, such as:

  • A family history of type 2 diabetes

  • A sedentary lifestyle

  • High blood pressure

  • Being overweight

But eating healthy and exercising are not necessarily surefire ways to prevent the disease… 

The Role of Toxic Environmental Chemicals 

“Lifestyle and dietary changes alone cannot account for the dramatic rise of diabetes, while an increasing number of publications have reported the possible relationships between exposure to environmental pollutants and risk of diabetes.” -Sun, 2017

It has recently been shown that chemicals we encounter every day could be contributing to diabetes, such as: 

  • Dioxins 

  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 

  • Pesticides

  • Phthalates 

  • BPA

The researchers found that people with elevated levels of these chemicals were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Another study found a link between eating processed foods and type 2 diabetes. One possible reason the authors cited is the toxic chemicals used in the packaging of these foods.

Could Plastic Cause Type 2 Diabetes?

A 2019 study linked BPA exposure to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

The authors studied 755 participants. They found that those who had the greatest exposure to BPA (and related BPS) were more likely to develop type two diabetes. 

BPA is found in plastic, food cans, and receipt paper. It mimics natural hormones (estrogens) in the body. BPA can cause a host of health problems

Several other studies have shown that BPA is linked to diabetes as well.

BPS is used as a replacement for BPA in plastics. Unfortunately, the replacement chemical seems to have similar effects on the body. Thus, exposure to BPS is also likely linked to increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

Control Toxic Chemical Exposure

It is scary that toxic chemicals in our environment can harm us. Toxic chemicals are invisible yet part of most people’s daily lives. Type 2 diabetes is not the only disease that is linked to toxic chemical exposure. 

However, there are ways to test your exposure and see if your toxic chemical levels are high. Refer to our website to learn more about getting yourself tested.

For a Fact Sheet on this topic, click here.