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Air pollution could increase children’s risk for insulin resistance
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Previous studies have suggested that air pollution is associated with low birth weight and short stature. According to recent data published in Diabetologia, children in Germany were more likely to develop diabetes later in life if exposed to air pollution by age 10 years.
“Although toxicity differs between air pollutants, they are all considered potent oxidizers that act either directly on lipids and proteins or indirectly through the activation of intracellular oxidant pathways,” study researcher Joachim Heinrich, PhD, of the Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, said in a press release. “Oxidative stress caused by exposure to air pollutants may therefore play a role in the development of insulin resistance. In addition, some studies have reported that short-term and long-term increases in particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure lead to elevated inflammatory biomarkers, another potential mechanism for insulin resistance.”
The researchers collected 397 fasting blood samples from children aged 10 years who were followed in the German Infant Study on the Influence of Nutrition Intervention plus Environmental and Genetic Influences on Allergy (GINIplus) and the Lifestyle-Related Factors on the Immune System and the Development of Allergies in Childhood (LISAplus). Models were used to estimate the association between air pollution and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the researchers wrote.
After adjustments for covariates, including birth weight, pubertal status, BMI and second-hand smoke exposure, the researchers found that levels of insulin resistance were highest among children who were exposed to air pollution, they wrote.
Data indicate that insulin resistance increased by 17% (95% CI, 5-30.3) for every 10.6 mcg/m3 (two standard deviations [2SDs] from the mean) increase in ambient NO2. Similarly, insulin resistance increased by 18.7% for every 6 mcg/m3 (2SDs) increase in particulate matter ≤10 mcm in diameter, they wrote. Furthermore, patients who lived within 500 m of a major road demonstrated an increased insulin resistance of 7.2% (95% CI, 0.8-14), according to data.
These statistically significant findings suggest that air pollution may play a role in the development of insulin resistance.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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Bradley D. Anawalt, MD
It is an interesting and provoking epidemiological study. It was carefully done and demonstrated a modest increase in insulin resistance related to exposure to air pollution (nitric dioxide and particulates) from traffic. There is biologic plausibility that nitric dioxide could cause insulin resistance. There appeared to be a dose dependent effect of air pollutants on insulin resistance, and subjects who lived closer to major roads appeared to have greater insulin resistance. The authors acknowledge some of the inherent limitations of their study, including measurement of air pollutants at a single time point and imputing these measurements to long-term exposure. These findings have potentially important public health implications and provide more evidence that man-made air pollutants confer significant harmful effects, including heart and lung disease, cancer, and now possibly an increased risk for diabetes.
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