Diabetics on oral medication are protected from pollution

A study published in the journal Environmental Pollution has proved that oral medication diabetics are protected from pollution.

The study was conducted in 356 participants of which 91 used insulin, 197 used oral medication and 68 reported using no diabetes medication. CRP was measured at the beginning of the study and again two years later, using a high sensitivity test.

Study participants in Puerto Rico who used insulin and lived next to roads with heavy traffic had markedly increased C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, compared to those living in lower traffic areas. Increase in CRP concentration is not seen in people taking oral diabetes medication.

Explaining the study, first and corresponding author Christine Rioux, research assistant professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in the US stated that "CRP concentration increased 75-200 percent over the two-year period for those 10 percent of study participants living in the highest traffic areas who were using insulin when compared to those living in lower traffic areas. In contrast, CRP concentration did not increase for the 22 percent of people taking metformin and/or other oral diabetes medications who were also living in the high traffic areas”. 

"It is important to know who is most vulnerable to the adverse effects of traffic pollution exposure for purposes of education and policy," Rioux noted. It was found that people who live near busy roads and spend more time by exposing to pollution have higher levels of inflammation which is a risk factor for many cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

"This study is important because many people who live near highways may have diabetes and other serious chronic conditions," Mkaya Mwamburi from the Tufts University School of Medicine pointed out. But the study said that it was not clear why oral diabetic medications are far beneficial than insulin treatment.

AW: Lizitha