Can PFAS increase heart disease risk in people with prediabetes?

What's actually in it

PFAS accumulate in your blood from nonstick cookware, food packaging, waterproof textiles, and contaminated water. They interact with cholesterol metabolism, inflammation pathways, and blood vessel function. Prediabetes affects over 1 in 3 American adults. It means your blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet at the diabetes threshold.

People with prediabetes already have a higher baseline risk for heart disease. Researchers wanted to know whether PFAS exposure makes that risk even worse.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Health Perspect analyzed data from a large group of adults with prediabetes. The researchers measured PFAS levels in blood and followed participants for years to track who developed cardiovascular disease.

Adults with prediabetes who had higher PFAS levels were more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, or other cardiovascular events. The link was dose-dependent: more PFAS meant more risk.

The combination of prediabetes plus PFAS appeared to be worse than either alone. PFAS may accelerate the vascular damage that prediabetes starts, through mechanisms like increased inflammation, cholesterol disruption, and endothelial damage.

For the millions of people living with prediabetes, reducing PFAS exposure is an actionable step. Replacing nonstick cookware, filtering drinking water, and choosing PFAS-free food packaging can help protect your heart while you work on blood sugar control.