Connecting PM2.5 Exposure to Insulin Resistance: Oxidative Stress May Be an Intermediate Step

Julia R. Barrett, MS, ELS, a Madison, WI–based science writer and editor, is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences. About This Article open Citation: Barrett JR. 2016. Connecting PM2.5 exposure to insulin resistance: oxidative stress may be an intermediate step. Environ Health Perspect 124:A236; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.124-A236 Published: 1 December 2016 PDF Version (385 KB) Related EHP Article Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution Causes Vascular Insulin Resistance by Inducing Pulmonary Oxidative Stress Petra Haberzettl, Timothy E. O’Toole, Aruni Bhatnagar, and Daniel J. Conklin Animal studies and human epidemiological research suggest that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But it is unclear how PM2.5 exposure might lead to systemic insulin resistance, the cause of type 2 diabetes. The authors of a new study in mice conclude that oxidative stress in the lungs may be an intermediate step between exposure to PM2.5 and vascular insulin resistance, a precursor of systemic insulin resistance.1 Type 2 diabetes arises from the body’s inability to respond to insulin produced by the pancreas. This results in high blood glucose levels and potentially fatal health complications. The worldwide prevalence of adult diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) doubled from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014, when the global prevalence reached approx...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: News Science Selections December 2016 Source Type: research