A new study, designed to estimate the harmful effects of poor air quality, revealed a significant correlation between diabetes and pollution levels. The conclusion, the authors hope, will help to shape future guidelines.
Air pollution and diabetes are responsible for millions of death globally.
According to the World Health Organization (
Air pollution is a global issue, but low-income cities are the most affected.
The
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body’s ability to produce the hormone insulin is reduced, leading to high blood sugar levels. Diabetes can be treated, but complications can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke.
Data from the WHO show that in 2014,
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO — in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri — found a strong link between air pollution and diabetes.
This could help to bring new awareness of the harmful effects of poor air quality. The study was published recently in The Lancet Planetary Health.
For the study, the team of scientists analyzed the impact of pollution on a group of United States veterans with no previous history of diabetes.
They followed these participants for a median of 8.5 years. They used a variety of models, which they tested against other parameters, such as ambient air sodium concentrations and lower limb fractures.
The researchers used these additional variables — which are not associated with diabetes or air pollution — to eliminate the chances of measuring a false relationship.
Based on these analyses, they estimate that globally, air pollution contributed to around 3.2 million cases of diabetes and the loss of 8.2 million years of healthy life in 2016. This last figure represents about “14 percent of all years of healthy life lost due to diabetes” due to all causes.
“Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally. We found an increased risk, even at low levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the WHO.”
Senior author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly
He goes on, “This is important because many industry lobbying groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened.”
The exact mechanism behind the relationship between air pollution and diabetes has not yet been proven. However, scientists know that some pollutants — once they have been breathed in — can enter the bloodstream and interact with tissues and organs.
These interactions ultimately disrupt the body, and, among other things, may alter insulin sensitivity and production.
It is important to note that the risk of pollution-related diabetes is higher in lower-income countries that lack clean air policies, such as India, China, and Indonesia, while more wealthy countries, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, have a lower risk.
The study findings suggest that the risk of diabetes rises dramatically between the lowest possible exposure levels and the EPA guidelines for air quality standards.
In other words, even at levels that are officially deemed “safe,” the risk is still significant. In October 2017, the Lancet Commission on pollution and health published a
This new study, which aimed to find new evidence, uncovered proof that pollution can have an even greater impact on health, possibly leading to the development of diabetes.
Air pollution may affect human health via bacteria changes in respiratory tract
New research suggests that air pollution may have an effect on human health by altering bacteria. It shows that black carbon, a major component of air pollution, dramatically changes how bacteria grow and form biofilms, which can affect their survival in the lining of airways and their resistance to antibiotics.
The study – by researchers from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom – is published in the journal Environmental Microbiology.
The team suggests that the work may have important implications for the treatment of infectious diseases, which are known to occur more frequently in places with high levels of air pollution.
First author Julie Morrissey, associate professor in microbial genetics, says that the findings show “that the bacteria which cause respiratory infections are affected by air pollution, possibly increasing the risk of infection and the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment of these illnesses.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is the
A recent analysis also confirms that 92 percent of the world’s population live in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.
The link between particulate matter and human health is well established. The new study concerns black carbon – a main component of particulate matter that results from the burning of fossil fuels such as diesel, biomass, and biofuels.
For example, studies have shown that exposure to black carbon is linked with cardiopulmonary disease and deaths, and that black carbon may also cause disease by carrying a wide range of chemicals, varying in toxicity, into the human body.
However, as Prof. Morrissey and colleagues note, the effects of black carbon on bacteria, “organisms central to ecosystems in humans and in the natural environment, are poorly understood.”
For their study, they investigated how black carbon affects bacteria living in the respiratory tract – that is, the nose, the throat, and the lungs.
They focused on two bacteria that are major causes of respiratory disease in humans and show high levels of resistance to antibiotics: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Both of these bacteria are in the WHO’s global list of 12 priority pathogens.
The researchers
Biofilms form when bacteria cells stick to surfaces and form communities held together by a slimy, glue-like substance that they excrete and surround themselves with. These surfaces can include living tissue, such as of the heart and lungs.
Once established, biofilms cause stubborn infections that are
The researchers note that their findings show that “exposure to black carbon induces structural, compositional, and functional changes in the biofilms of both S. pneumoniae and S. aureus.”
Finally, in tests on mice, they also found that black carbon causes S. pneumoniae to spread from the nose to the lower respiratory tract – a key step in the development of disease.
They conclude that their study “highlights that air pollution has a significant effect on bacteria that has been largely overlooked.”
“Our research could initiate an entirely new understanding of how air pollution affects human health. It will lead to enhancement of research to understand how air pollution leads to severe respiratory problems and perturbs the environmental cycles essential for life.”
Prof. Julie Morrissey
Source - Medical News Today
No comments:
Post a Comment