Among obese, disadvantaged Latino children, greater exposure to air pollution was associated with an adverse effect on glucose homeostasis markers that reflect risk of type 2 diabetes, in a new study.
Specifically, in this study of children who were 8 to 15 at entry and followed for a mean of 3.5 years, exposure to higher levels of air pollution was linked with lower insulin sensitivity, a decline in beta-cell function, and a higher body mass index (BMI) at age 18 — independent of initial excess weight.
The study by Tanya L Alderete, PhD, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, and colleagues was published online January 30 in Diabetes.
"It has been the conventional wisdom that [the current] increase in diabetes is the result of an uptick in obesity due to sedentary lifespans and calorie-dense diets," senior author Frank Gilliland, MD, from the Keck School of Medicine, USC, said in a statement. However, "our study shows air pollution also contributes to type 2 diabetes risk."
"Importantly," the adverse effects of air pollution on insulin homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function were independent of adiposity, Dr Alderete and colleagues stress.