The risk of diabetes has been associated with exposure to air pollution by a new research.

The findings of the study were published in the October issue of Diabetes Care. The research was led by John Brownstein, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and colleagues.

The researchers based their findings on the combined analysis of the county-by-county data collected from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on air pollution levels with the countrywide diabetes data from the CDC in
2004-05. Then the researchers calculate the rates related to obesity, population density, ethnicity, income, education, and health insurance coverage.

It was found that people who were living in areas with high air pollution have 20% more chances of getting affected with diabetes, as compared to others living in relatively clean environment. Also, areas with high air pollutants pose threat to obesity.

Allison B. Goldfine, MD, of Harvard Medical School’s Joslin Diabetes Center and study’s co-researcher said, “The findings don’t prove air pollution is involved in the diabetes epidemic, but they suggest a role for environmental factors other than those related to what we typically think of as our Western lifestyle”.

The chemicals found in the polluted air are considered to cause chronic inflammation that lead to insulin resistance. The risk is higher in obese people, as fats accumulate chemicals swiftly.