POP goes diabetes

Further evidence linking pollutants to type 2 diabetes has emerged. The new research published in Diabetes Care shows that people with high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the blood are 38 times more likely to have some degree of insulin-resistance – a precursor to diabetes. Although obesity is a well-documented risk factor for diabetes, this study suggests that obese people with low levels of POPs have an unexpectedly low incidence of diabetes and that obesity is only associated with diabetes in those with high levels of POPs. These pollutants are stored in fatty tissue – which may explain why obese people with high levels of POPs suffer more. Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are POPs that do not degrade easily and are widespread in the environment, occurring in oily fish for example. The government’s Food Standards Agency says “They are generally present at low concentrations in most foods, especially fat-containing foods such as milk and meat.” Plant-based diets inevitably contain less, so do yourself a favour and go veggie!

_{Lee, D.H., Lee, I.K., Jin, S.H., Steffes, M. and Jacobs, D.R. Jr. 2007. Association between serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and insulin resistance among nondiabetic adults: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. Diabetes Care. 30 (3) 622-8.}

_{FSA, 2006. Food Standards Agency. Dioxins and PCBs in the UK Diet: 1997 Total Diet Study (Number 04/00).}