Termites: Cause of Diabetes?

Cherie Burbach — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:43:56 +0000

We know that obesity puts you at a higher risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes, but a recent study has found a link between “insecticides present in that fat.” Obese individuals with lower levels of organochlorine insecticides in their blood didn’t have diabetes (or insulin resistance) that other obese individuals did.

This could be one reason why certain people do not get Type 2 Diabetes, despite being overweight and out of shape.

One insecticide in particular, chlordane, was used to fight termite infestations in “approximately 30 million homes from the 1950s until it was banned in 1988.” The vapors of this chemical get into homes ” through opening around pipes and cracks in concrete floors.” Chlordane compounds then ” accumulate in the fat tissues” and aid in the condition known as insulin resistance. Even more frightening was this statistic: ” Chlordane levels in the air of homes are known to remain high 30-plus years after application.”

For more information on how chlordane could affect you, please visit Diabetes Health Magazine.