Study: Air Pollution Is Linked to Diabetes in Overweight Latino … – NBCNews.com

A view of the Los Angeles city skyline as heavy smog shrouds the city in 2015. Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images

"Exposure to heightened air pollution during childhood increases the risk for Hispanic children to become obese and, independent of that, to also develop Type 2 diabetes," said Michael Goran, who worked on the study.

The children who participated in the study lived in areas that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had excess nitrogen dioxide and tiny air pollution particles that are generated by vehicles and power plants.

Related:

By the time the children turned 18, their insulin-creating pancreatic cells were 13 percent less efficient than normal, making them more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes, Goran's team found.

They also had nearly 27 percent higher blood insulin after having fasted for 12 hours. During their two-hour glucose test, had about 26 percent more insulin than normal, showing the body was using insulin less efficiently.

Related:

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the journal Diabetes, is the first to connect air pollution and diabetes risk in children. The findings, however, may be generalized only to overweight and obese Latino children, mostly of a lower socioeconomic status.

Follow NBC News Latino on

Follow this link:
Study: Air Pollution Is Linked to Diabetes in Overweight Latino ... - NBCNews.com