Environmental pollutants associated with blood glucose levels in healthy individuals

The occurrence of diabetes is closely linked to environmental pollution. In the pre-diabetic stage, the human body is actually already exposed to the environment. Exploring the correlation between environmental exposure substances and blood glucose levels in individuals with normal blood glucose is of great and positive practical significance for the effective prevention and precise control of diabetes. This study meticulously collected detailed information from 307 individuals in northern China, and sampled the serum of the participants for analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technology. A total of 203 environmental exposure substances were detected. Results: Through in-depth exposome research, it was found that environmental exposure substances such as α-hexabromocyclododecane (α-HBCD), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), and (1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-dione) benzil showed a significant positive correlation with the increase in blood glucose levels. In contrast, substances such as isopropylphenyl diphenyl disulfide (IPPD), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), and dibenzothiophene sulfone (PES) were negatively correlated with blood glucose elevation. Both the Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) analysis and the Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the overall effect of environmental exposure substances and blood glucose elevation (95% confidence interval = 1.141-1.721; P < 0.001). Environmental pollutants are important risk factors for the increase in blood glucose levels in healthy individuals. Moreover, these pollutants may interact with and affect each other, leading to a further rise in blood glucose levels.