Eating Polluted Oily Fish Could Cause Diabetes

A new study has found evidence that consuming oily fishes with high levels of persistent organic pesticides (POPs) raises the risk of developing insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. POPs are synthetic chemicals that are stored in the fatty tissue of animals.

This study suggests that this may be why obese people are more vulnerable to diabetes.

Previous studies have shown that people whose bodies with high levels of chemicals including the pesticide DDT and industrial coolants called PCBs are more likely to have diabetes than those with lower amounts in their bodies.

Despite being long-banned, DDT and PCBs remain in the soil and seas and hence the food chain.

Obese patients with low POP levels have a low incidence of diabetes compared to those with higher levels.

Source: “Could eating oily fish increase the risk of diabetes?” 12 April 2007, Daily Mail; Duk-Hee Lee etal “Association Between Serum Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Insulin Resistance Among Nondiabetic Adults” Diabetes Care (2007) 30:622-628

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