1 August Chemicals in Plastic Bottles and the Risk of Obesity and Diabetes August 1, 2017 By The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center 0 DRC Director's Report, August 2017 As you all know, there are many factors that may contribute to the growing risk of obesity and diabetes worldwide. Many understand that an unhealthy diet, gaining too much weight or not exercising enough will certainly contribute to increasing your risk of diabetes. However, there is also a growing realization that certain environmental exposures and chemicals to which we might be exposed could also increase this risk. You may not be familiar with the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), but you probably have seen a label “BPA-free” on water bottles and/or food containers. BPA has been widely used in plastic products, including food containers and other consumer products. Mounting evidence suggests that BPA can disrupt endocrine and metabolic functions in animals and humans. Consequently, there has been a trend of replacing BPA in part or as a whole by BPA alternatives, such as bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS). Animal studies suggest that BPF and BPS exposure have adverse effects similar to BPA. However, health effects and safety of BPF and BPS use in humans are largely unknown. This study by FOEDRC researchers at the University of Iowa led by Dr. Wei Bao, found that at the current environmental exposure level, BPA exposure, but not BPF or BPS exposure, was significantly associated with a higher risk of obesity in US adults. However, it is worth noting that current BPF and BPS exposures are much lower than BPA. Whether BPF and BPS pose an increased risk of obesity at the same population exposure levels as BPA remains unknown. While this study provides some reassurance, it also urged the need for continued biomonitoring of these chemicals in populations and further investigations on their health effects in the future, considering the increasing use of BPF and BPS as substitutes of BPA in humans. Related Articles An M-Health Intervention To Increase Activity Among Patients At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes In 2013, Dr. Philip Polgreen was the recipient of a FOEDRC Pilot Grant for his research entitled, “To evaluate a novel tool using text messages as a mechanism to promote sustained weight loss in patients with obesity and insulin resistance.” This cutting edge science was recently recognized and awarded additional funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). New Ways To Predict The Risk Of Gestational Diabetes DRC Director's Report - November 2017 We are pleased to announce that Dr. Wei Bao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) was recently awarded a $419,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund a project entitled: Pregnancy-associated microRNAs in plasma as predictors of gestational diabetes. Some of the preliminary work that contributed to this award were provided by pilot funding from the FOEDRC. Stressing Muscle Metabolism Prevents Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Exciting new research was recently published in the EMBO Journal by the laboratory of FOEDRC Director, Dale Abel. The study suggests that gently stressing muscle metabolism could help prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes. The study was carried out on mice where the team found triggering a type of metabolic stress increased levels of a hormone called fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21). The findings showed the animals were completely protected from obesity and diabetes. Interestingly, in the mice which had already started to develop the condition, the hormone reversed the diabetes and helped them return to a normal weight with normal blood sugar levels. How Diabetes Harms The Heart Study in mice involving FOEDRC researchers, reveals heart-damaging pathway triggered by insulin, identifies possible drug targets to prevent or treat heart failure. Diabetes is hard on the heart. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, and risk for heart failure—where the heart can’t pump enough blood—is two to three times higher in men and up to five times higher in women with diabetes compared to people without diabetes. American Diabetes Association Supports FOEDRC Researchers DRC Director's Report - January 2018 Three researchers from the FOEDRC received new grants from the American Diabetes Association for groundbreaking research. The ability of our members to receive these competitive awards is truly remarkable and underscores the quality and rigor of the research that is being conducted in the FOEDRC. There are few institutions that received multiple awards in this current round of ADA funding. The awards to Drs. Ling Yang, Rajan Sah and Adam Rauckhorst are summarized below. Progress In Preventing Eye Disease In Diabetes A research team lead by Mark A. Greiner, M.D., Assistant Professor, Cornea and External Diseases in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and member of the FOEDRC, at the University of Iowa is doing interesting work in understanding how diabetes affects the Cornea. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.