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RESE ARCH AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HA S UNCOVERED A LINK BE T WEEN AIR POLLUTION AND ELE VATED RISK OF T YPE 2 DIABE TES AMONG OVERWEIGHT L ATINO CHILDREN. T YPE 2 DIABETE S a… ects 9.3 percent of the American population — a percentage that is expected to increase in coming years, according to the CDC. Poor eating habits, lack of exercise and genetics are widely recognized as playing roles in this epidemic, but the USC study builds on previous research that points to another possible culprit: air pollutants. "It has been conventional wisdom that this increase in diabetes is the result of an uptick in obesity due to sedentar y lifestyles and calorie-dense diets," Frank Gilliland, senior author of the study and a Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, stated in a news release regarding his team's fi ndings. "Our study shows air pollution also contributes to Type 2 diabetes risk." THE STUDY Published in the A merica n Diabetes Association's journal Diabetes, the study fol lowed 314 obese a nd over wei g ht Latino chi ldren in Los A ngeles who were between the ages of 8 and 15. The chi ldren lived in a rea s that the EPA has determined to have excess levels of nitrogen dioxide a s wel l a s a t y pe of pollution ca lled pa r ticulate matter 2.5, which is produced by power plants and automobiles. Ever y yea r, the pa r ticipa nts fasted before visiting the Childhood Obesity Research Center at USC to have their glucose a nd insulin levels measured. U s i n g t h e s e t e s t s , r e s e a r c h e r s d e t e r m i n e d t h e e f f i c i e n c y w i t h which cer ta in pa ncreatic cel ls were producing insulin. A d j u s t i n g f o r b o d y f a t a n d s o cio e c onom ic s t at u s , re s ea rcher s f o u n d t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e l e s s r e s p o n s i v e t o i n s u l i n . T w o - h o u r glucose tests revea led they had about 36 percent more insulin tha n norma l levels, a ha llma rk of that diminished r e s p o n s i v e n e s s . B y t h e t i m e t h e children reached age 18, the cells were f u nc t ion i n g a t 1 3 p er c ent r e duc e d ef f icienc y, ma k i n g t he pa r t icipa nt s more l i kely t o lat er develop T y pe 2 diabetes. In some ca ses, the ef fect of long-ter m ex posure to hig h levels of pol lution wa s so dra stic it exceeded that of a 5 percent weight ga in. "Exposure to heightened air pollution during childhood increases the risk for Hispa nic chi ldren to become obese a n d , i n d e p e n d e nt of t h a t , t o a l s o develop T y pe 2 d ia bet es," M icha el G ora n, Co-di rector of t he Diabetes a nd Obesit y Resea rch Institute at the Keck School of Med ici ne, st ated i n the release. The results reinforce those of other studies that examined the link between a ir pollution a nd diabetes, but this is the fi rst study to follow children over an extended period of time — 3.5 years on average. The researchers say future studies will include participants of normal weight and will collect dietary and activity data as well. ■ Pollution and Pediatric Diabetes Risk A BREATH OF FOUL AIR: BY TREVOR WILLINGHAM 1 3 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L P E N N S Y LVA N I A 2 017