Forever Chemicals Linked to Higher Risk for Gestational Diabetes, Altered Glucose Control

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS; also known as forever chemicals) are associated with higher odds of gestational diabetes and increased markers of insulin resistance and secretion, according to a study published online Jan. 12 in eClinicalMedicine.Sandra India-Aldana, Ph.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to characterize the associations between exposures to PFAS and markers of glycemic control, insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cell function, and diabetes risk.Based on 129 included studies, the researchers found consistent associations between eight different PFAS and higher odds of gestational diabetes across prospective and other study designs, including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS; n = 8; odds ratio [OR] per doubling PFOS increase: 1.13; I2 = 0.0 percent). There were positive associations between several legacy PFAS such as PFOS with Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR; n = 8; β: 0.06; I2 = 0.0 percent) and fasting insulin (n = 5; β in μU/mL: 0.23; I2 = 0.0 percent) in prospective studies and HOMA-β in cross-sectional studies (n = 6; β: 5.93; I2 = 67.0 percent). The associations were null or not consistent for type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose, or hemoglobin A1c. The strength of the findings was limited by the low-to-moderate quality of evidence."These results are alarming as almost everyone is exposed to PFAS, and gestational diabetes can have severe long-term complications for mothers and their children," senior author Damaskini Valvi, M.D., Ph.D., also from the Icahn School of Medicine, said in a statement. "These results underscore the importance of considering PFAS and other hazardous environmental chemical exposures as part of comprehensive clinical risk assessment and preventive care, particularly during pregnancy."Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Forever Chemicals Linked to Higher Risk for Gestational Diabetes, Altered Glucose Control

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