Relationship of serum bisphenol A with diabetes in the Thai population, National Health Examination Survey IV, 2009

Abstract

© 2014 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd. Background: Epidemiological studies of the association between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and diabetes have been inconsistent. The present study determined serum BPA concentrations in the Thai population and their association with hyperglycemia and diabetes. Methods: In all, 2581 serum samples from the Thai National Health Examination Survey (2009) were used to determine BPA levels. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥100 and <126mg/dL. Diabetes was defined as a history of a physician's diagnosis or fasting plasma glucose ≥126mg/dL. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association of serum BPA with IFG and diabetes. Results: Of 2581 samples tested, BPA was detected in 2135 samples (weighted percentage 78.1%), with a geometric mean concentration of 0.34ng/mL BPA. Serum BPA levels were significantly higher among those with diabetes or IFG compared with normoglycemic individuals (0.52 and 0.38 vs 0.33ng/mL, respectively; P<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, compared with the first quartile (≤0.071ng/mL), the overall adjusted odds ratios (OR) of serum BPA concentration in the third and fourth quartiles (0.319-0.745 and ≥0.746ng/mL, respectively) for IFG were 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 2.49) and 1.23 (95% CI 0.80, 1.89), respectively; for diabetes, the adjusted OR were 1.88 (95% CI 1.18, 2.99) and 1.83 (95% CI 1.12, 2.95), respectively, with a slightly stronger association among men than in women. Conclusions: Serum BPA concentrations were not associated with IFG, but were positively associated with diabetes in the Thai population. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the relationship.