Air, Plastic, and Pesticide Pollution Linked to Rising Diabetes in India
At the 53rd National Conference of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), held in Kerala after 14 years, experts warned that environmental pollution has become a major yet overlooked factor behind India’s growing diabetes crisis. With more than 101 million people affected, the country faces a serious public health challenge.
Pollution and Diabetes: An Emerging Connection
Researchers presented evidence connecting air, plastic, and pesticide pollution with metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. They highlighted that industrialization and environmental exposure are intensifying the risks associated with diabetes.
“The interplay of industrialisation, environmental exposures, and metabolic health requires urgent attention,”
Dr. Vitull K. Gupta, Chairman of the Association of Physicians of India (Malwa Branch), described environmental pollutants as a “new frontier in diabetology.”
Plastics and Metabolic Health
Dr. Gupta referred to Indian studies that found phthalates—chemicals used extensively in plastics—can epigenetically heighten the risk of type 2 diabetes and harm maternal health.
“Phthalates, common in plastics, epigenetically increase type 2 diabetes risk and pose a health hazard to pregnant women,”
Need for Coordinated Policy Action
Experts at the conference emphasized that a unified policy and clinical strategy is urgently needed to mitigate the rising impact of pollution on diabetes and related metabolic diseases.
Author’s summary: Experts in Kerala warn that rising pollution—especially from plastics and pesticides—is emerging as a critical but neglected cause of India’s growing diabetes epidemic.