We do know by now that air pollution is a contributor to asthma, but recent research has shown that air pollution may be responsible for obesity and diabetes as well. It has been suggested that a lot of what ails us today, could possibly be explained by air pollution.
Researchers in Ohio State found that when mice were exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they developed fat cells that were larger. It was also found that the fat cells were concentrated in the abdominal area and that the levels of blood sugar were higher.
This is not the first time that researchers have found air pollution to have an impact on fat cells, by causing inflammation, which in turn also increases risk of type 2 diabetes.
There is also the suggestion that air pollution could be responsible for another condition – autism.
It has been seen that children who lived within 1000 feet of a freeway were seen to have double the risk of having autism compared to those who did not live within that proximity to a freeway.
While the cause or link may not be definite, the impact of air pollution on weight and other issues deserves further investigation.
