Toothpaste and Type 2

Did your toothpaste give you diabetes?

Well, OK, that's a bit of a stretch. But some new research has shown that the white pigment titanium dioxide is associated with type 2 diabetes. And titanium dioxide is often used to make toothpaste white as well as its use in other products such as drinks, foods, and medications. The full article can be seen here.

Now, this was a small pilot study (a pilot study is a small study done to try to see if it's worthwhile to do a larger study), only 11 participants, three without diabetes, four with type 2 diabetes (T2), and four with T2 plus pancreatitis. The researchers looked at their pancreases and found titanium dioxide nanoparticles in all the patients with T2 and none of the controls.

Remember that association is not causation. But the fact that the crystals were found in none of the three controls is suggestive. Obviously, as the cliche goes, "more research is needed" with larger numbers of people studied. 

However, this study is consistent with the idea that perhaps one reason diabetes rates have increased so much is related to the increase in various toxins in our environment. Titanium dioxide is considered safe, but maybe it isn't, even though it's approved as a food additive.

Another study, in vitro and in flies, suggested that titanium dioxide reduces glucose transport across the intestinal epithelium.

So how many other "safe" chemicals are we ingesting as well?