Skip to main content

Exposure to Toxic Metals Linked to Faster Increases in Glycemia

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 23, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 2024 -- Exposure to toxic metals and alterations in essential metal homeostasis are associated with faster increases in glycemia over time in a high-risk Mexican American population, according to a study published online Sept. 15 in Diabetes Care.

Margaret C. Weiss, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues examined continuous glycemic traits in relation to baseline urinary toxic metal, essential metal, and metal mixtures in a cohort of Mexican American adults. Five hundred ten participants were selected and followed over three years.

The researchers found that faster increases in measures of glycemia were seen in association with higher urinary levels of arsenic, selenium, copper, molybdenum, nickel, and tin after adjustment. Faster increases in postload glucose were seen in association with the toxic metal mixture composed of arsenic, lead, cadmium, nickel, and tin. Highest versus lowest arsenic was predicted to accelerate conversion of normoglycemia to prediabetes by 23 months and to diabetes by 65 months using postload glucose criteria.

"This study further illuminates the deleterious impact of metals on metabolic health and reinforces the need to prioritize the environmental drivers of diabetes that have long been neglected by individual- and policy-level interventions," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to CVS/Health.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2024

Read this next

Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk for Young-Onset Dementia

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components are associated with an increased risk for young-onset dementia (YOD), according to a study...

Semaglutide Ups Risk for Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in Diabetes

TUESDAY, April 8, 2025 -- For patients with diabetes, semaglutide use is associated with an increased risk for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), according...

mHealth-Supported Intervention Boosts Physical Activity in Adults With Newly Diagnosed Diabetes

TUESDAY, April 8, 2025 -- A mobile health (mHealth)-supported home-delivered physical activity (PA) intervention is feasible and effective at promoting sustained, purposeful...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.