Pollution of the environment by transport increases the risk of developing diabetes
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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People who live in areas with high levels of air pollution transport may face an increased risk of developing diabetes, say Danish scientists.
They found that people living in urban areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide, the main source of which are exhaust fumes, were 4% more likely to develop diabetes than people living in areas with clean air.
Previous studies have shown that people with diabetes are more vulnerable to harmful exposure to polluted air than healthy people.
A new study published in the journal Diabetes Care is the most comprehensive to date and shows that air pollution can actually contribute to the development of diabetes.
"Unlike the previous ones, this work also shows that healthy people can be more susceptible to the effects of polluted air, which requires further research on this topic," says Zoran's author, J. Andersen.
A group of scientists analyzed the data of almost 52,000 residents of the two largest cities in Denmark. During the decade, 3,000 people (5.5%) aged 50 to 65 years at the beginning of the study were diagnosed with diabetes.
An assessment was also made of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the open air near the homes of the study participants.
In addition to exposure to polluted air, the development of diabetes mellitus is significantly influenced by factors such as smoking, sex and age. They continue to be the most significant indicators of the likelihood of the disease.
Given all the risk factors for developing diabetes, scientists came to the conclusion that air pollution increases the likelihood of a disease by 4%.
"The influence of polluted air on the development of diabetes has been stronger in women, which is probably due to a greater susceptibility of women to air pollution," Andersen suggested.
Earlier, a group of scientists reported that people living in areas with high levels of road traffic pollution have an increased risk of dying from a stroke.
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