Environmental Contaminants May Be Contributing To Prevalence Of Metabolic Diseases

A study in mice by French scientists sheds new light on the impact of environmental food contaminants on the development of metabolic diseases. Two groups of obese mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, while one group received a mixture of pollutants in its food at a very low dosage. Researchers detected a deterioration of glucose tolerance in females, suggesting a defect in insulin signaling. Glucose tolerance was not affected in males exposed to the pollutants, but they did show changes in the liver related to cholesterol synthesis and transport. The researchers said their findings support the idea that pollutants may contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases, including metabolic diseases and diabetes.