A study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis suggested that there are strong links between outdoor air pollution and an increased risk of diabetes worldwide.
According to the study, air pollution caused one in seven new cases of diabetes in 2016, adding that even low levels raised the chances of developing the chronic disease.
The study estimated that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016 -- or around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases globally that year, AFP reported.
"Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally," said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study's senior author.
Pollution is believed to affect the production of insulin in the body, "preventing the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs to maintain health," the research elaborated.
Al-Aly said the research, published in the Lancet Planetary Health, proved a higher risk even with levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
"This is important because many industry lobbying groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened," he added.
According to AFP, diabetes affects more than 420 million people globally and is one of the world's fastest growing diseases.
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