Another Thing That Makes You Look Fat: Air Pollution

Does this polluted air make me look fat? The answer is yes, because it does, in fact, make you fat, eventually. Initially, it just jacks up your insulin resistance level, LDL cholesterol, and triglicerides. That, at least, is the suggestion of research conducted in Beijing by scientists from Duke University. A Duke news release reports that researchers placed pregnant rats and their offspring in two chambers, one exposed to outdoor Beijing air and the other containing an air filter that removed most of the air pollution particles. After only 19 days, the lungs and livers of pregnant rats exposed to the polluted air were heavier and showed increased tissue inflammation, and the rats had 50 percent higher LDL cholesterol; 46 percent higher triglycerides; and 97 percent higher total cholesterol. Their insulin resistance level, a precursor of Type 2 diabetes, was higher than their clean air-breathing counterparts. The researchers conclusion: air pollution exposure results in metabolic dysfunction, a precursor to obesity. And yes, the pollution-exposed rats were significantly heavier at the end of their pregnancy even though the rats in both groups were fed the same diet.