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People who use air purifiers in their homes could also be unknowingly regulating their blood sugar levels, new research from NYU Langone Health suggests.
Using air purifiers for a month helped cut levels of harmful air pollution tied to spikes in blood sugar and developing diabetes by 36 percent, according to the study presented last month at a conference of the American Heart Association.
The study involved 75 New Yorkers with prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. It found those who slept in rooms with the machines saw an 8 percent drop in daily blood sugar spikes. A similar drop was also seen among those in the study who ate breakfast.
Experts believe the polluting particles can get into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation that leads to diabetes and raises cardiovascular risks. Purifiers help counter this pollution and are designed to capture at least 99.97 percent of fine airborne particles larger than at least 0.3 micrometer.
The findings could have major implications for the 115 million Americans living with prediabetes, most of whom don’t know they have the condition.
