空气污染每年诱发糖尿病患者320万

诸平

根据一项量化研究烟雾和糖尿病之间联系的新估计，2016年，空气污染导致全球320万新增糖尿病病例。

汽车和工厂排放出来的废气，并通过大气中的化学反应而产生细颗粒物，还有空气中的尘埃微小颗粒物悬浮在烟雾中，使空气难以呼吸。空气污染与心脏病和糖尿病等慢性疾病有关（详见科学新闻2017年9月30日的相关报道：The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing），但这项最新的研究是第一次尝试量化烟雾与糖尿病之间的联系。研究人员对170万美国退伍军人进行了近10年的跟踪调查，以评估他们患糖尿病的风险。他们还使用了来自全球糖尿病风险研究的数据，以及来自美国环境保护署以及美国航空航天局的的空气质量数据。

2018年7月发表在《柳叶刀行星健康》（ The Lancet Planetary Health）上的新估算认为，空气污染导致全球约14%的糖尿病新发病例。诸如基因、体重、活动水平和饮食等因素也会影响该疾病的风险，而这种疾病在全球范围内呈上升趋势。（世界卫生组织估计，现在有4.22亿人患有2型糖尿病，而1980年患有2型糖尿病的人数仅有1.08亿。）

全球范围内的负担并不相同：毫无疑问，像巴基斯坦、印度和中国这样高污染水平的国家，空气污染相关的糖尿病发病率也特别高。美国现在拥有相对清洁的空气，在名单上也名列第一。更多信息请注意浏览相关报道。

Air pollution is triggering diabetes in 3.2 million people each year 

New study quantifies the link between smoggy air and diabetes

By Laurel Hamers  

5:11pm, July 9, 2018 

HAZY DAYS  Long-term exposure to air pollution, seen here blanketing the Pakistani city of Lahore in June 2018, contributes to chronic health problems. New research suggests it triggers millions of new diabetes cases each year.

Air pollution caused 3.2 million new cases of diabetes worldwide in 2016, according to a new estimate.

Fine particulate matter, belched out by cars and factories and generated through chemical reactions in the atmosphere, hang around as haze and make air hard to breathe. Air pollution has been linked to chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes (SN: 9/30/17, p. 18), but this study is one of the first attempts to quantify the connection for diabetes. Researchers tracked 1.7 million U.S. veterans for almost a decade to assess their risk of developing diabetes. They also used data from global studies on diabetes risk, as well as air quality data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NASA, to create equations that analyzed the connection between air pollution exposure and diabetes globally.

The new estimate, reported in July in The Lancet Planetary Health, holds air pollution responsible for about 14 percent of new cases of diabetes worldwide. Factors such as genetics, weight, activity level and diet also influence the risk of the disease, which is on the rise globally. (The World Health Organization estimates that 422 million people now live with type 2 diabetes — up from 108 million in 1980.)

The burden isn’t the same around the globe: Unsurprisingly, countries with high pollution levels, such as Pakistan, India and China, also have especially high rates of air pollution-linked diabetes. The United States, which now has comparatively clean air, is also high on the list.

Citations

B. Bowe et al. The 2016 global and national burden of diabetes mellitus attributable to PM2.5 air pollution. The Lancet Planetary Health. Vol. 2, July 2018. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30140-2.

Further Reading

L. Beil. The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing. Science News, Vol. 192, September 30, 2017, p. 18.

L. Beil. Pollution killed 9 million people in 2015. Science News. Vol. 192, November 25, 2017, p. 5.