Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Modifies Effect of Bisphenol A Exposure on Deterioration in Glucose Metabolism

Epidemiology studies showed inconsistent results regarding the relationship between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

This study sought to prospectively investigate associations of BPA with incident T2D risk and the longitudinal changes in glycemic traits, particularly examining the interaction between gene and BPA exposure on the associations.

A community-based study was conducted at baseline in 2009, including 2209 nondiabetic middle-age and elderly subjects followed for 4 y. Urinary BPA levels were measured at baseline. A genetic risk score (GRS) based on 34 T2D common variants that identified and validated in East Asians was created.

Incident T2D was defined according to the 1999 World Health Organization criteria. Fasting (FPG) and 2-h post-loading plasma glucose were measured at baseline and followup.

Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated no significant association of risk of incident T2D with BPA while with increase in the weighted T2D-GRS (odds ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.72 for each 10-point increment). Similar results were found in 4-y changes of FPG and 2-h post-loading plasma glucose. The GRS modified the effect of BPA exposure on 4-y changes in FPG (P for interaction = .01). Each 1 unit of Log_BPA was associated with 0.1 mmol/L increase in FPG (P = .007) in the highest quartile of GRS; no associations were found in the lower three quartiles of GRS.

The T2D genetic susceptibility significantly modulated the association of BPA exposure with longitudinal increase in FPG levels.