Association Among Serum Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals, Glucose Homeostasis, and Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents and Adults
- Chien-Yu Lin, MD, MPH1,2,3,
- Pau-Chung Chen, MD, PHD2,
- Yu-Chuan Lin, MD2,4 and
- Lian-Yu Lin, MD, PHD5
- 1Department of Internal Medicine of Nephrology, En Chu Kong Hospital, Taipei County, Taiwan;
- 2Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan;
- 3School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei County, Taiwan;
- 4Department of Pediatrics, Taipei City Hospital, Zhongxiao Branch, Taipei, Taiwan;
- the 5Department of Internal Medicine of Cardiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Corresponding author: Lian-Yu Lin, hspenos{at}yahoo.com.tw.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) have been used worldwide in a variety of consumer products. The effect of PFCs on glucose homeostasis is not known.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined 474 adolescents and 969 adults with reliable serum measures of metabolic syndrome profile from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000 and 2003–2004.
RESULTS In adolescents, increased serum perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) concentrations were associated with hyperglycemia (odds ratio [OR] 3.16 [95% CI 1.39–7.16], P < 0.05). Increased serum PFNA concentrations also have favorable associations with serum HDL cholesterol (0.67 [0.45–0.99], P < 0.05). Overall, increased serum PFNA concentrations were inversely correlated with the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (0.37 [0.21–0.64], P < 0.005). In adults, increased serum perfluorooctanoic acid concentrations were significantly associated with increased β-cell function (β coefficient 0.07 ± 0.03, P < 0.05). Increased serum perfluorooctane sulfate (PFOS) concentrations were associated with increased blood insulin (0.14 ± 0.05, P < 0.01), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (0.14 ± 0.05, P < 0.01), and β-cell function (0.15 ± 0.05, P < 0.01). Serum PFOS concentrations were also unfavorably correlated with serum HDL cholesterol (OR 1.61 [95% CI 1.15–2.26], P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS Serum PFCs were associated with glucose homeostasis and indicators of metabolic syndrome. Further clinical and animal studies are warranted to clarify putative causal relationships.
Footnotes
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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- Received October 3, 2008.
- Accepted December 17, 2008.
- © 2009 by the American Diabetes Association.
