Insecticide exposure may elevate diabetes risk

New Delhi: Scientists claim that exposure to insecticides can possibly up the risk of lethal diabetes.

Synthetic chemicals commonly found in insecticides and garden products bind to the receptors that govern our biological clocks, researchers said.

Researchers suggest that exposure to these insecticides adversely affects melatonin receptor signalling, creating a higher risk for metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

The study at University at Buffalo (UB) in the US combined a big data approach, using computer modelling on millions of chemicals, with standard wet-laboratory experiments.

Disruptions in human circadian rhythms are known to put people at higher risk for diabetes and other metabolic diseases but the mechanism involved is not well-understood.

(With PTI inputs)