For those who are trying to be fit and to shed their extra weight, you should consider your environment. A new study suggests that exposure to air pollution increases one's risk for obesity and diabetes.

Beijing Air Pollution

The air in Beijing and the rest of the country has been a worldwide health concern in the past years. In fact, the country called for two red alerts due to the air pollution. On Nov. 30, the air in the area contained 40 times the deadly particulate PM 2.5 limit that is recommended by the World Health Organization. Long-term exposure to these particulates may result in damaged lungs and respiratory illnesses.

Polluted Air Causes Metabolic Dysfunction

A new study from the Duke University exposed pregnant lab rats and their offspring to air in two chambers. One group was exposed to the polluted Beijing air while the other group breathed in filtered air, where most pollutant particles were already removed.

After only 19 days, the lungs and liver of the pregnant rats exposed to Beijing air showed signs of increased tissue inflammation and they were heavier. The researchers learned that the group also had 50 percent higher bad cholesterol level, 46 percent triglycerides and 97 percent total cholesterol, which affects the risk of developing obesity and diabetes.

The same results were observed in the offspring of the rats that were kept in the same chambers as their mothers. However, the study concluded that long exposure is needed to see pronounced results. Long-term exposure is needed to generate continuous inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction.

Male rats who breathed the polluted air for eight weeks were 18 percent heavier than their counterparts who breathed the filtered air. While Female rats were 10 percent heavier after the study as well.

Results on Humans

"Since chronic inflammation is recognized as a factor contributing to obesity and since metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity are closely related, our findings provide clear evidence that chronic exposure to air pollution increases the risk for developing obesity," said senior author Junfeng Zhang, a professor of global and environmental health at Duke University and Duke Kunshan University.

"If translated and verified in humans, these findings will support the urgent need to reduce air pollution, given the growing burden of obesity in today's highly polluted world," Zhang added.

The study was funded by several agencies of the Chinese government. The results are consistent with other studies suggesting that air pollution induces oxidative stress and inflammation in organs and in the circulatory system. It also supported previous studies associating air pollution with increased insulin resistance and altered tissue.