Exposure to Bisphenol a Substitutes and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Cohort Study in China

Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that BPAF and BPS might be potential risk factors of GDM, which require to be studied further. Introduction Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication during pregnancy and is defined as “any degree of glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy” (1, 2). GDM and hyperglycemia during pregnancy have been reported to be associated with adverse maternal, neonatal, and postnatal outcomes; thus, it is important to find potential risk factors for GDM. Except for the common-known risk factors (a high maternal age, being overweight before pregnancy, a family history of type 2 diabetes, a history of diabetes before pregnancy, etc.), concerns are increasingly being raised on the environmental factors for developing GDM, especially for some environmental chemicals that have endocrine-disrupting effects (3–5). Bisphenol A (BPA, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane), a typical endocrine disruptor, is widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in numerous consumer products, to which human beings are widely exposed to in daily life. Increasing evidence has indicated that BPA may be harmful to human health, especially with regard to endocrine metabolism (6–9). Evidence from animal studies has suggested that BPA exposure may disrupt glucose homeostasis and contribute to metabolic disorders; thus, BPA may be a risk factor for the development o...
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research