Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and inflammatory bowel disease: review and meta-analysis

This literature review and meta-analysis evaluate the epidemiologic evidence linking PFAS exposure to irritable bowel disease (IBD)-specifically ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Results were heterogeneous, and meta-analyses yielded null findings across all PFAS-outcome pairs. Risk of bias due to exposure misclassification, reverse causation, and inadequate control sampling limited confidence in the findings. These results highlight the need for future research and rigorously designed studies to evaluate PFAS as environmental risk factors for IBD.