Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl sub- stances (PFAS), a class of highly persistent environmental chemicals commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” is associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. These are the findings of a new systematic review and meta-analysis led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, United States.

The review is published in the journal ‘eClinicalMedicine’. Gestational diabetes (GD) is high blood sugar that devel- ops during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes in creases the risk of pregnancy complications and is associated with long-term health risks for both mother and child, including a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. PFAS are widely used in consumer and industrial products, including food packaging, nonstick cookware, stain- and water-resistant textiles, and firefighting foams.

These chemicals persist in the envi- ronment and accumulate in the human body over time. Although research on PFAS and diabetes risk has grown in recent years, findings have been inconsistent, and prior reviews have rarely examined continuous clinical markers of diabetes, such as insulin resistance and secretion.

“This is the most comprehensive synthesis of evidence to date examining how PFAS exposure relates not only to diabetes risk, but also to the underlying clinical markers that precede disease,” said Sandra India-aldana, Ph.D., MPH, MPhil, postdoctoral fellow, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-first author of the study.

“Our findings suggest that pregnancy may be a particularly sensitive window during which PFAS exposure may increase risk for gestational diabetes.”