Exposure to Pesticides in Food, Air and Water Increases Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205101415.htm

Feb. 5, 2013 — A study led by the University of Granada reveals that there is a direct relationship between the presence of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the body and the development of type 2 diabetes, regardless of the patient's age, gender or body mass index.

A study conducted at the University of Granada has revealed that there is a direct relationship between exposure to pesticides (Persistent Organic Pollutants, CPOs) in food, air and water and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adults, regardless of age, gender and body mass index. These substances tend to concentrate in body fat, and they might be one of the reasons why obese people are more likely to develop diabetes, since the more fat the higher the COP concentrations in the body.

In a paper recently published in the journal Environmental Research, researchers demonstrate that people with higher concentrations of DDE -the main metabolite in the pesticide DDT- are four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than other people. In addition, the risk of type 2 diabetes is also associated with exposure to β-HCH (beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane), which is present in the formula of the pesticide Lindano.

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