Air pollution 'could cause insulin resistance in children'

A new study has shown that there could be a link between exposure to air pollution and insulin resistance in children. The new German research suggests that children who live in areas that have higher levels of air pollution - such as in cities or near main roads - are more prone to becoming resistant to insulin by the age of ten.

Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich took blood samples and measured glucose and insulin levels of 397 children aged ten. An estimate pollution exposure level was ascertained for each child using air pollution figures recorded for the neighbourhood of their birth for 2008 to 2009. The results were then adjusted to factor in body mass index (BMI), birth-weight and whether they were exposed to second-hand smoke at home.

The results of the study indicated that children living in areas that have higher levels of air pollutants - such as nitrogen dioxide and air particulates - had an increased chance of developing insulin resistance. The study also showed that insulin resistance is more likely to develop in children who have a higher BMI. Developing insulin resistance can then lead on to type 2 diabetes.

Doctor Joachim Heinrich, one of the research leaders at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health in Neuherberg, said: "Although toxicity differs between air pollutants, they are all considered potent oxidisers that act either directly on lipids and proteins, or indirectly through the activation of intracellular oxidant pathways. Oxidative stress caused by exposure to air pollutants may therefore play a role in the development of insulin."

Some experts are concerned that the results should not be treated as definitive as other research into this area has been inconsistent.

Doctor Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Although this article suggests that there may be a link between exposure to air pollution during childhood and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, previous research showed no consistent pattern between the two. This new work is based on a number of models and assumptions and has only looked at a relatively small number of children. As a result, a lot more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn about this possible link."