Exposure to air pollution may up obesity, diabetes risk

The Times of India , Monday, February 22, 2016
Correspondent : PTI
WASHINGTON: Exposure to polluted air may increase the risk of obesity and lead to high cholesterol and more insulin resistance, a precursor of Type 2 diabetes, a new study has warned.

Researchers from Duke University found that laboratory rats who breathed Beijing's highly polluted air gained weight and experienced cardio-respiratory and metabolic dysfunctions. The pollution-breathing pregnant rats had heavier lungs and livers and increased tissue inflammation, scientists said.

For the study, they placed pregnant rats and their offspring in two chambers, one exposed to outdoor Beijing air and the other containing an air filter that removed most of the air pollution particles. After only 19 days, the lungs and livers of pregnant rats exposed to the polluted air were heavier and showed increased tissue inflammation. These rats had 50% higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol; 46% higher triglycerides; and 97% higher total cholesterol.

Their insulin resistance level, a precursor of Type 2 diabetes, was higher than their clean air-breathing counterparts. The results show that air pollution exposure results in metabolic dysfunction, a precursor to obesity. Similar results were shown in the rat offspring, which were kept in the same chambers as their mothers.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Exposure-to-air-pollution-may-up-obesity-diabetes-risk/articleshow/51084298.cms
 


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