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Air pollution exposure linked to heart disease risk factors
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Blood glucose levels, cholesterol and other risk factors for heart disease may be worsened with exposure to air pollution, especially among those with diabetes, according to study findings.
“While air pollution is linked with relatively small changes in cardiometabolic risk factors, the continuous nature of exposure and the number of people affected give us cause for concern,” Victor Novack, MD, PhD, of Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University in Israel, said in a press release. “Even small changes in glucose levels and glycemic control can contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”
In the 10-year population-based retrospective cohort study, Novack and colleagues evaluated data from 73,117 adults living in southern Israel from 2003 to 2012 to determine the effects of both short- and intermediate-term exposure to particulate matter on serum glucose, HbA1c, triglyceride, HDL and LDL levels. Thirty-six percent of participants had diabetes.
Acute exposure to particulate matter less than 10 µm in diameter was not linked to glucose, triglyceride, or LDL or HDL levels. However, intermediate exposures (3 months) to particulate matter less than 10 µm in diameter and less than 2.5 µm in diameter were linked to increases in glucose (0.3% and 0.02%, respectively), LDL (2.32% and 1.42%, respectively) and triglyceride (0.23% and 0.37%, respectively) levels and decreases in HDL (1.13% and 1.3%, respectively).
Participants with diabetes had the strongest links between particulate matter and increases in HbA1c (3.58% for particulate matter < 10 µm in diameter and 2.93% for < 2.5 µm in diameter) and LDL (2.37% for particulate matter < 10 µm in diameter and 1.54% for < 2.5 µm in diameter).
“We found an association between air pollution exposure in the intermediate term and undesirable changes in cholesterol,” study researcher Maayan Yitshak Sade, MPH, also of Soroka University Medication Center and Ben-Gurion University, said in the release. “This suggests that cumulative exposure to air pollution over the course of a lifetime could lead to elevated risk of [CVD].” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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