PM 2.5 exposure, glycemic markers and incidence of type 2 diabetes in two large Indian cities

Abstract

Introduction Exposure to fine particulate matter has been associated with several cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. However, such evidence mostly originates from low-pollution settings or cross-sectional studies, thus necessitating evidence from regions with high air pollution levels, such as India, where the burden of non-communicable diseases is high. Research design and methods We studied the associations between ambient PM 2.5 levels and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among 12 064 participants in an adult cohort from urban Chennai and Delhi, India. A meta-analytic approach was used to combine estimates, obtained from mixed-effects models and proportional hazards models, from the two cities. Results We observed that 10 μg/m 3 differences in monthly average exposure to PM 2.5 was associated with a 0.40 mg/dL increase in FPG (95% CI 0.22 to 0.58) and 0.021 unit increase in HbA1c (95% CI 0.009 to 0.032). Further, 10 μg/m 3 differences in annual average PM 2.5 was associated with 1.22 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.36) times increased risk of incident T2DM, with non-linear exposure response. Conclusions We observed evidence of temporal association between PM 2.5 exposure, and higher FPG and incident T2DM in two urban environments in India, thus highlighting the potential for population-based mitigation policies to reduce the growing burden of diabetes.