Type 2 diabetes: exposure to ozone linked to the development of the disease

The causes of onset of diabetes are multiple and complex, although obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are considered the greatest risk factors. More and more studies suggest that environmental factors are also involved, in particular air pollution. A new research, published on September 8 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectivesgoes in this direction and claims that exposure to ozone increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 1.5.

Air pollution versus outdoor physical activity

American researchers from the University of California conducted their study on more than 1,000 residents of the city of Sacramento, all aged at least 60 years. They dissected their health information, collected between 1998 and 2007 through the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA). Ambient ozone exposure levels were modeled using monitoring data collected at 49 sites across the Sacramento metropolitan area.

The results revealed that out of nearly 1,800 people surveyed, 186 new diabetes cases developed over the follow-up period. Researchers estimate that exposure to ozone increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 1.5 times.”Physical activity is well known and widely recognized for its health benefits, but the beneficial effects of outdoor physical activities on human health may have to be weighed against the adverse effects of air pollution in areas affected by high levels of pollution”, assures Dr. Beate Ritz, professor of epidemiology and co-author of the study.

Increased insulin resistance

According to the researchers, the reason for this increased risk is to be found on the side of insulin resistance which would be increased due to pollution. “Although epidemiological evidence is limited, experiments suggest that ozone exposures can induce insulin resistance, which contributes to diabetessays Dr. Yu Yu, researcher, co-author of the study. In turn, laboratory experiments have shown that people who perform physical activities outdoors and thus breathe more heavily, when exposed to ozone, can be negatively affected due to increased inhalation of the atmospheric pollution.”