Diabetes and Endocrine Disruptors
Introduction
The prevalence of diabetes and other related ailments has become an issue of concern for most concerns in the health sector. Diabetes is always associated with the diet intake by an individual, although other factors such as genetic factors may be responsible. The association between diet intake and diabetes comes from contamination by environmental chemicals. For example, Endocrine Disruptors (ED) is associated with clinical manifestation of the conditions related to diabetes. The exposure to endocrine disruptors causes biological and morphological reactions that lead to diabetic transformations in the body.
Moreover, the difference between environmental and diet conditions causes differences in vulnerability to endocrine disruptors exposure. The role of endocrine tissues is to regulate the distribution of fats in the body to avoid non-uniform distribution of lipids. When the endocrine tissues are disrupted, the body-fat distribution becomes inconsistent. Inconsistent fat distribution leads to a high risk of diabetes and the body storing excessive fats that would be used in the production of energy.
Diabetes is defined as the excessive accumulation of fats in the body leading to overweight. Diabetes has grown into epidemic levels in the recent past, with the prevalence becoming an issue of global concern. An issue of concern is that diabetes is no longer associated with age, and everyone is at risk of getting diabetic (Chevalier & Fénichel, 2016). The most common characteristic of diabetes is obesity among patients. Cases of overweight are common among diabetic people, and thus, people always use obesity to mean a diabetic person. Although obesity does not necessarily mean that an individual has diabetes, a higher percentage of obese people are diabetic. The association between obesity and diabetes is that it leads to specific pathologies such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, carcinogenesis, and infertility. Generally, the relationship between diabetes and endocrine disruptors is on dietary intake and the impact on fat distribution in the body.
Methods and Materials
The present change in environmental and diet conditions brings the need for modern means of contacting research on diabetes. The composition of daily products has been associated with endocrine disruptors, which may contaminate food and drinks taken by individuals. Some of the chemical substances responsible for endocrine disruption are Bisphenol A, Bisphenol S, and PFOA. This study thus involves seeking responses from people on the type of cosmetics and other chemicals that they interact with daily (Alonso-Magdalena, Quesada & Nadal, 2011). Other chemicals considered are herbicides and insecticides that might contaminate food and water bodies. The target population, in this case, will, therefore, be both people living with diabetes and people living with people with diabetes. Generally, the responses will be used to come up with an association between the use of endocrine disruptors and diabetes.
People become exposed to endocrine disruptors with or without their knowledge. However, endocrine disruptors occur in mixtures, and no chemical has been defined as an endocrine disruptor. Therefore, the compounds that have endocrine disruptors in them are identified, so that the risk of using them is analyzed (Chevalier & Fénichel, 2016). Generally, the study will be done based on suspected endocrine disruptors. For example, a pesticide will be considered as a suspected endocrine disruptor until an analysis is done to check the compounds used in coming up with the pesticide. Moreover, the impact of endocrine disruptors is affected by the half-lives associated with the substance. Different compounds have different severity in endocrine disruption.
Results and Discussion
Endocrine disruptors might not have a direct impact on the risk of becoming diabetic. However, the relationship between endocrine tissues and fat regulation gives the disruptors an upper hand. Individuals who have been exposed to endocrine disruptors have a higher risk of becoming diabetic. Moreover, the vulnerability of an individual to the effects depends on the concentration of the disruptor in the compound within which it is found.
Obesity Induction
The development of diabetes stems from the inability of endocrine tissues to regulate the use of fats to produce energy to be used by the body. Endocrine disruptors impact the operation of an intact organism by inducing various endocrine functions, which later lead to adverse health effects on the organism. Generally, the impact of endocrine disruptors may impact both the exposed organism and the descendants. Therefore, children born to an exposed mother could be overweight without the mother getting affected. Most of the pathologies associated with diabetes are affected by endocrine disruptors, and they include insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, carcinogenesis, and infertility. When endocrine disruptors compromise the functioning of the endocrine tissues, the patient has less ability to burn calories, and they end up growing overweight.
Obesity mostly is associated with the secretion of insulin to burn additional fats in the body. Endocrine disruptors affect the process of insulin secretion, and the intake of fats burdens the body and eventually starts growing overweight. Generally, the pancreatic beta cells are often killed by the immune system when endocrine disruptors are involved in the process of impacting insulin secretion. Usually, diabetes mellitus has become rampant among children, and thus, the issue of affected age-group is no longer considered during researches. The combination of evidence from several sources has shown that endocrine disruptors are responsible for the increased number of diabetes among people of all ages. Generally, endocrine disruptors disrupt the functioning of endocrine tissues leading to fat accumulation and, eventually, diabetes. Where endocrine disruptors are involved in the indirect association with diabetes, other diabetes-related diseases may be caused.
Endocrine Disruptors and Diabetes-related Diseases
Diabetes is not the only condition associated with endocrine disruptors. Other conditions are caused by the same factors that lead to diabetes. One of the conditions is Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic imbalance occurs when endocrine disruptors get access to an individual’s body and allow for the manifestation of metabolic syndrome (Petrakis et al. 2019). The conditions that come up to metabolic imbalance, such as abdominal obesity and glucose intolerance, are responsible for metabolic syndrome.
Moreover, Laptin production is affected, which makes it ineffective in its blood pressure regulation role. The association between endocrine disruptors and metabolic syndrome comes from diabetes and the creation of diabetic conditions. Therefore, endocrine disruptors are responsible for the development of the metabolic syndrome. Another condition related to diabetes and caused by endocrine disruptors is insulin resistance.
Insulin is responsible for the regulation of sugar levels in the body. Unregulated sugars grow to overburden the burden, and eventually, an individual becomes overweight. The regulation is made by converting sugars and fats into glucose that is utilizable by the body in creating energy (Petrakis et al. 2019). Insulin resistance, however, occurs when the production of insulin is affected, or restrictions caused by endocrine disruptors lower the sensitivity of the produced insulin. Endocrine disruptors affect the immune system and lead to restricted production of glucose transporter type 4. When insulin resistance occurs, fasting glucose increases as well as glucose intolerance.
Moreover, the immune system responds by initiating the production of more insulin, which instead leads to more health conditions such as hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic steatosis. Therefore, endocrine disruptors become the responsible causative agents for insulin resistance. Moreover, cardiovascular diseases have been associated with endocrine disruptors.
Some of the characteristics of diabetes include increased fat concentration in the body. When the fats are deposited on the walls of the blood vessels, heart problems are bound to occur. However, a direct association between endocrine disruptors and cardiovascular diseases exists since the compounds are responsible for the production of reactive oxygen species. The vascular tone becomes inflicted when oxidized low-density lipoproteins are deposited on vascular walls, and foam cells are formed. Endocrine destructors are responsible for the induction of endothelium-dependent arterial contractions through angiotensin II expression (Petrakis et al. 2019). The harmful substances emanating from the reactions from endocrine disruptors lead to the malfunctions of the ventricles and hence, more cardiovascular complications. Generally, the unregulated production of fats and sugars originate from the compromised immunity due to endocrine disruptors and affect the smooth flow of blood by exerting unnecessary pressure on the heart. The other ailment associated with endocrine disruptors is infertility in both males and females.
The concern on endocrine disruptors is not only associated with diabetes but also infertility. First, the female reproductive system is affected by reproductive organs becoming inactive. The impacts on female reproductive health grow across generations. Moreover, inheritance may happen before and after childbirth. On the other hand, male reproductive health is impacted differently across all ages. Newborn boys are commonly affected by congenital malfunctions such as Cryptorchidism and hypospadias. Young male adults are affected by testicular germ cell tumors with prostate cancer becoming common among older men. The association between the rise in cases of reproduction malfunctions has been associated with the exposure to endocrine disruptors, although research has not been done exhaustively. The association grows stronger as more information is found to show the relationship that exists between diabetes and reproductive health. Since endocrine disruptors are associated with diabetes, then the association can be extended to reproductive problems.
The Exposure Patterns of Endocrine Disruptors
The impact of endocrine disruptors has been seen to differ among individuals. Also, the vulnerability is different during different ages. The most common stages of human life when exposure highly possible are the periods before and after birth (Sargis, Johnson, Choudhury & Brady, 2016). Pregnant individuals are most likely to deliver overweight babies if exposed to endocrine disruptors during pregnancy. Also, babies may be exposed to endocrine disruptors after birth increasing their chances of becoming diabetic. The impact of endocrine disruptors is associated with the fact that children under two years have been identified as victims of diabetes. Other causes of diabetes, such as overfeeding, cannot be argued to be the causative agents for diabetes for such young children. Although other factors such as substance abuse by pregnant mothers are associated with overweight babies, the association to endocrine disruptors is strong, and most of the abused substances even contain the disruptors. Moreover, exposure to children mostly happens through dietary contamination. Also, postnatal exposure affects the children directly and is different from the prenatal exposure that affects the child through the pregnant mother.
Prenatal and postnatal exposure ability give endocrine disruptors an inheritable characteristic. Future generations may suffer the consequences of endocrine disruptor exposure without6 having to be directly exposed. Most transgenerational studies show that children from exposed parents are born with additional fat deposits. The structure of newborn babies is not well-developed to provide a firm avenue for dealing with fats, and thus, diabetes becomes more prevalent in exposed children below two years. The heritable characteristic of endocrine disruptors, however, fades with time. Different mechanisms explain how endocrine disruptors contribute to weight gain among victims.
The association between endocrine disruptors and weight gain is explained through different mechanisms. The most common mechanism is the alteration of lipid homeostasis and accumulation of lipids. The number of adipocytes may also increase with the size of adipocyte cells affecting endocrine pathways and eventually lost control of adipose tissue development. Furthermore, endocrine disruptors may significantly affect the hormones that are responsible for appetite and food preference. Such disruptions may lead to excessive appetite or unhealthy cravings, with people being unable to control weight gain. When appetite becomes excessive, for example, the rate of taking exercise does not go up at the same rate. Eventually, individuals with excessive appetite end up growing overweight and diabetic. Similarly, food preference may affect weight gain if an individual prefers consuming unhealthy food. Moreover, the disruptors may lead to reduced sensitivity in regulatory organs such as the pancreas and the liver.
Conclusion and Discussion
Exposure to endocrine disruptors, especially at crucial times such as during pregnancy and after birth, may lead to effects on the endocrine system. The risk of diabetes grows when the endocrine pathways are disrupted, leading to the production of less sensitive or excessive regulatory substances. Such substances include insulin that is responsible for the regulation of fats in the body. Inconsistent fat distribution leads to a high risk of diabetes and the body storing excessive fats that would be used in the production of energy. The relationship between diabetes and endocrine disruptors is on dietary intake and the impact on fat distribution in the body. The vulnerability of an individual to the effects of endocrine disruptors depends on the concentration of the disruptor in the compound within which it is found. Also, the most common stages of human life when exposure highly possible are the periods before and after birth. The most common mechanism is the alteration of lipid homeostasis and accumulation of lipids. Also, endocrine disruptors may significantly affect the hormones that are responsible for appetite and food preference. Moreover, the disruptors may lead to reduced sensitivity in regulatory organs such as the pancreas and the liver. Generally, endocrine disruptors are responsible for diabetes and diabetic-related ailments.
References
Alonso-Magdalena, P., Quesada, I., & Nadal, A. (2011). Endocrine disruptors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 7(6), 346.
Chevalier, N., & Fénichel, P. (2015). Endocrine disruptors: new players in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes?. Diabetes & metabolism, 41(2), 107-115.
Chevalier, N., & Fénichel, P. (2016). Endocrine disruptors: A missing link in the pandemy of type 2 diabetes and obesity?. Presse medicale (Paris, France: 1983), 45(1), 88-97.
Petrakis, D., Vassilopoulou, L., Mamoulakis, C., Psycharakis, C., Anifantaki, A., Sifakis, S., … & Tsatsakis, A. M. (2017). Endocrine disruptors leading to obesity and related diseases. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(10), 1282.
Sargis, R. M., & Simmons, R. A. (2019). Environmental neglect: endocrine disruptors as underappreciated but potentially modifiable diabetes risk factors. Diabetologia, 1-12.
Sargis, R. M., Johnson, D. N., Choudhury, R. A., & Brady, M. J. (2016). Environmental endocrine disruptors promote adipogenesis in the 3t3‐l1 cell line through glucocorticoid receptor activation. Obesity, 18(7), 1283-1288.