Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun;5(2):79-91.
doi: 10.1007/s40471-018-0140-5. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

Ambient and Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposures as Novel Risk Factors for Metabolic Dysfunction and Type 2 Diabetes

Tanya L Alderete  1 , Zhanghua Chen  1 , Claudia M Toledo-Corral  1   2 , Zuelma A Contreras  1 , Jeniffer S Kim  1 , Rima Habre  1 , Leda Chatzi  1 , Theresa Bastain  1 , Carrie V Breton  1 , Frank D Gilliland  1
Affiliations

Ambient and Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposures as Novel Risk Factors for Metabolic Dysfunction and Type 2 Diabetes

Tanya L Alderete et al. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Diabetes mellitus is a top contributor to the global burden of mortality and disability in adults. There has also been a slow, but steady rise in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in youth. The current review summarizes recent findings regarding the impact of increased exposure to air pollutants on the type 2 diabetes epidemic.

Recent findings: Human and animal studies provide strong evidence that exposure to ambient and traffic-related air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) play an important role in metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes etiology. This work is supported by recent findings that have observed similar effect sizes for increased exposure to air pollutants on clinical measures of risk for type 2 diabetes in children and adults. Further, studies indicate that these effects may be more pronounced among individuals with existing risk factors, including obesity and prediabetes.

Summary: Current epidemiological evidence suggests that increased air pollution exposure contributes to alterations in insulin signaling, glucose metabolism, and beta (β)-cell function. Future work is needed to identify the specific detrimental pollutants that alter glucose metabolism. Additionally, advanced tools and new areas of investigation present unique opportunities to study the underlying mechanisms, including intermediate pathways, that link increased air pollution exposure with type 2 diabetes onset.

Keywords: air pollution; beta-cell function; insulin resistance; type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Vos T, Allen C, Arora M, Barber RM, Bhutta ZA, Brown A, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet. 2016;388:1545–602. The Author(s) Published by Elsevier Ltd This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dabelea D, Mayer-Davis EJ, Saydah S, Imperatore G, Linder B, Divers J, et al. Prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents from 2001 to 2009. JAMA American Medical Association. 2014;311:1778–86. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Imperatore G, Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Case D, Dabelea D, Hamman RF, et al. Projections of type 1 and type 2 diabetes burden in the U.S. population aged <20 years through 2050: dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and population growth. Diabetes Care American Diabetes Association. 2012;35:2515–20. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ljungman PL, Mittleman MA. Ambient Air Pollution and Stroke. Stroke. 2014;45:3734–41. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Koulova A, Frishman WH. Air Pollution Exposure as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality. Cardiology in Review. 2014;22:30–6. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources