#SER2020: DLH Researchers Examine Association between Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Diabetes

#SER2020, the Society for Epidemiologic Research’s 54th annual conference, will be held virtually from December 16 – 18, 2020.

DLH researchers Julia B. Ward and Sarah S. Casagrande will present a poster titled “Endocrine-disrupting chemical concentrations and diabetes among adults in the United States, NHANES 2005-2014”.

Despite the ubiquity of phenols and parabens, scientific literature lacks population-based studies examining the link between these endocrine-disrupting chemicals and diabetes. Utilizing data from the 2005-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), the authors examined the association between paraben/phenol concentrations and diabetes among a nationally representative sample of US adults.

Higher concentrations of various phenols and parabens were associated with lower odds of diabetes, and reverse causation cannot be ruled out. The results warrant further investigation to better understand the relationship between endocrine disruptors and diabetes.