Associations between urine glyphosate and diabetes mellitus in the U.S. general adult: A cross-sectional study from NHANES program

Abstract Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are used extensively around the world and have become the leading agrochemicals. However, study about the association between glyphosate exposure and diabetes is scarce. This study used four years of NHANES data (2013–2016) to further investigate the association. Methods A total of 2,806 participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The baseline information and urine glyphosate levels in diabetic and non-diabetic groups were compared. We also divided urine glyphosate levels into tertiles. Three models were developed using weighted logistic regression. Further subgroup analyses based on categorical variables were also conducted. Results Urine glyphosate levels were 0.35ng/ml in people with diabetes and 0.44ng/ml in participants without diabetes (P < 0.05). Regardless of adjustment, the highest glyphosate level in the tertile3 group was significantly linked with an elevated risk of diabetes (OR 1.595, 95% CI 1.016–2.504, P = 0.043) compared to the tertile1 group. Subgroup analyses suggested that the associations were constant in participants who were male, older age (60–100), had a college degree, income ratio = 5, BMI > 30, and smoking. Conclusions This study provides new evidence that glyphosate exposure was associated with a higher risk of diabetes in the American general adult population.