TheWellnessLiving Health Tips

A link between obesity and diabetes has been take for granted for a long time, but the exact relationship has been elusive. New evidence suggest that excess fat may be contributing to the accumulation of pollutants that eventually influence the appearance of tye 2 diabetes.

Certain pollutants present in the environment tend to accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals. An example if these substances in PCB, which occurs in many types of electrical equipment. Another example is the pesticide DDT, which in spite of being banned still persists in the environment. Some pollutants are directly conmumed by people, and in other cases they are ingested by animals, entering the food chain and end up in people as well.

Researchers at the Kyungpook National University in South Korea found out that people that had elevated levels of six different kinds of pollutants in their fatty tissues had more chances to develop diabetes than people with low levels of these pollutants (for more info see New Scientist, 30 September 2006, p 18). This study was backed by further evidence suggesting a link between PCB and some pesticides and development of insulin resistance in non-diabetics. The hypothesis is that fat people will tend to accumulate more pollutants as their fat acts as a storage agent. Although the theory is appealing, other investigators warn that the relationship is much more complex and other factors may be at play.