The environmental pollutants we consume are probably the reason why some people develop type 1 diabetes. Even low concentrations of these pollutants can cause cells to produce less insulin, reveals a new study from the University of Oslo ( UiO).
About 400 children and adolescents are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year in Norway and the number of new cases among children and adolescents has doubled since the 1970s. Adults are also diagnosed with the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The body’s own defense system makes the mistake of believing that these insulin-producing cells are harmful alien cells that need to be destroyed.
What triggers the onset of type 1 diabetes is still unclear to scientists. Could it be hereditary? Diet-related environmental factors, contaminated drinking water, or may it be due to a viral infection?
Researchers found more environmental pollutants in the blood of children with type 1 diabetes
In collaboration with the University of Tromsø and various research teams in the US, UiO scientists have studied environmental pollutants in blood samples from American children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. blood from a control group that did not have type 1 diabetes.
– We found that a higher proportion of people with type 1 diabetes had these contaminants in their blood. On average, they also had a higher concentration of various types of environmental pollutants, says Sophie E. Bresson, a doctoral student in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo.
To examine these findings in more depth, the researchers used rat beta cells. Toxic substances were applied to these cells to find out what happened next.
– We found that beta cells then produced much less insulin, even after only two days and with very low concentrations of environmental pollutants. When beta cells were exposed to contaminants for a longer period of time, they died. Therefore, we believe that environmental pollutants play a role in the onset of type 1 diabetes, concludes Bresson.
Bresson, Professor Jerome Ruzzin and the research team recently published their findings in an article in Environment International.
Environmental pollutants are a global threat to humanity
Several of the environmental pollutants studied by the research team, such as PCBs and pesticides, were banned 20 years ago by the Stockholm Convention. But these substances are found in food, plastics, paints, building materials, soil and water and only decompose naturally to a small degree. They may also have been trapped by the ice, and when the ice melts due to global warming, contaminants are released.
In addition, a number of countries that did not sign the Convention still continue to use these substances to prevent insects from attacking crops.
– We consume most environmental pollutants through the foods we eat. Once these pollutants enter the body, unfortunately we can do nothing to eradicate them, says Bresson.
As part of the study, researchers obtained blood samples from the U.S. Could the level of environmental pollutants be different from that in Norway?
– We have no reason to believe that there are significant differences. But we need to find out for sure, says Bresson.
Eat less meat and more lean fish
90% of the environmental pollutants we consume through food come from fish, meat and dairy products, says Professor Jason Matthews of the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo.
Scientists point out that fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, halibut, salmon and trout contain more dioxins and Mon-PCB than lean fish fillets. Examples of lean fish are charcoal, cod and haddock.
So what can we do to reduce the level of environmental contaminants in our food?
Eating less meat can be a good place to start and choose lean fish. Organically grown foods will contain fewer pesticide trace elements as they are not expected, but will still absorb contaminants through water and soil, Matthews reveals.
Source:
University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine
Magazine reference:
Bresson, SE, et al. (2022) Associations between persistent organic pollutants and type 1 diabetes in youth. International Environment. doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107175.