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Background and Aims: We aimed to assess the associations of exposure to air pollutants and standard and advanced lipoprotein measures, in a nationwide sample representative of the adult population of Spain., Methods: We included 4647 adults (>18 years), participants in the national, cross-sectional, population-based di@bet.es study, conducted in 2008-2010. Standard lipid measurements were analysed on an Architect C8000 Analyzer (Abbott Laboratories SA). Lipoprotein analysis was made by an advanced 1 H-NMR lipoprotein test (Liposcale®). Participants were assigned air pollution concentrations for particulate matter <10 μm (PM 10 ), <2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), corresponding to the health examination year, obtained by modelling combined with measurements taken at air quality stations (CHIMERE chemistry-transport model)., Results: In multivariate linear regression models, each IQR increase in PM 10 , PM 2.5 and NO 2 was associated with 3.3%, 3.3% and 3% lower levels of HDL-c and 1.3%, 1.4% and 1.1% lower HDL particle (HDL-p) concentrations (p < .001 for all associations). In multivariate logistic regression, there was a significant association between PM 10 , PM 2.5 and NO 2 concentrations and the odds of presenting low HDL-c (<40 mg/dL), low HDL-p (10 and NO 2 and low HDL-p in men (p for interaction .008 and .034), and between NO 2 and low HDL-p in individuals with obesity (p for interaction .015)., Conclusions: Our study shows an association between the exposure to air pollutants and blood lipids in the general population of Spain, suggesting a link to atherosclerosis., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Recent reports have suggested that air pollution may impact thyroid function, although the evidence is still scarce and inconclusive. In this study we evaluated the association of exposure to air pollutants to thyroid function parameters in a nationwide sample representative of the adult population of Spain., Methods: The Di@bet.es study is a national, cross-sectional, population-based survey which was conducted in 2008-2010 using a random cluster sampling of the Spanish population. The present analyses included 3859 individuals, without a previous thyroid disease diagnosis, and with negative thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO Abs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels of 0.1-20 mIU/L. Participants were assigned air pollution concentrations for particulate matter <2.5μm (PM 2.5 ) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ), corresponding to the health examination year, obtained by means of modeling combined with measurements taken at air quality stations (CHIMERE chemistry-transport model). TSH, free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and TPO Abs concentrations were analyzed using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (Modular Analytics E170 Roche)., Results: In multivariate linear regression models, there was a highly significant negative correlation between PM 2.5 concentrations and both FT4 (p<0.001), and FT3 levels (p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression, there was a significant association between PM 2.5 concentrations and the odds of presenting high TSH [OR 1.24 (1.01-1.52) p=0.043], lower FT4 [OR 1.25 (1.02-1.54) p=0.032] and low FT3 levels [1.48 (1.19-1.84) p=<0.001] per each IQR increase in PM 2.5 (4.86 μg/m 3 ). There was no association between NO 2 concentrations and thyroid hormone levels. No significant heterogeneity was seen in the results between groups of men, pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women., Conclusions: Exposures to PM 2.5 in the general population were associated with mild alterations in thyroid function., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Exposure to air particulate matter has been linked with hypertension and blood pressure levels. The metabolic risks of air pollution could vary according to the specific characteristics of each area, and has not been sufficiently evaluated in Spain. We analyzed 1103 individuals, participants in a Spanish nationwide population based cohort study (di@bet.es), who were free of hypertension at baseline (2008-2010) and completed a follow-up exam of the cohort (2016-2017). Cohort participants were assigned air pollution concentrations for particulate matter < 10 μm (PM 10 ) and < 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) during follow-up (2008-2016) obtained through modeling combined with measurements taken at air quality stations (CHIMERE chemistry-transport model). Mean and SD concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 were 20.17 ± 3.91 μg/m 3 and 10.83 ± 2.08 μg/m 3 respectively. During follow-up 282 cases of incident hypertension were recorded. In the fully adjusted model, compared with the lowest quartile of PM 10, the multivariate weighted ORs (95% CIs) for developing hypertension with increasing PM 10 exposures were 0.82 (0.59-1.14), 1.28 (0.93-1.78) and 1.45 (1.05-2.01) in quartile 2, 3 and 4 respectively (p for a trend of 0.003). The corresponding weighted ORs according to PM 2.5 exposures were 0.80 (0.57-1.13), 1.11 (0.80-1.53) and 1.48 (1.09-2.00) (p for trend 0.004). For each 5-μg/m 3 increment in PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations, the odds for incident hypertension increased 1.22 (1.06-1.41) p = 0.007 and 1.39 (1.07-1.81) p = 0.02 respectively. In conclusion, our study contributes to assessing the impact of particulate pollution on the incidence of hypertension in Spain, reinforcing the need for improving air quality as much as possible in order to decrease the risk of cardiometabolic disease in the population., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective The activity of brown adipose tissue is sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. A lower exposure to cold could result in an increased risk of developing diabetes at population level, although this factor has not yet been sufficiently studied. Design We studied 5072 subjects, participants in a national, cross-sectional population-based study representative of the Spanish adult population (Di@bet.es study). All subjects underwent a clinical, demographic and lifestyle survey, a physical examination and blood sampling (75 g oral glucose tolerance test). Insulin resistance was estimated with the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). The mean annual temperature (°C) in each individual municipality was collected from the Spanish National Meteorology Agency. Results Linear regression analysis showed a significant positive association between mean annual temperature and fasting plasma glucose (β: 0.087, P < 0.001), 2 h plasma glucose (β: 0.049, P = 0.008) and HOMA-IR (β: 0.046, P = 0.008) in multivariate adjusted models. Logistic regression analyses controlled by multiple socio-demographic variables, lifestyle, adiposity (BMI) and geographical elevation showed increasing odds ratios for prediabetes (WHO 1999), ORs 1, 1.26 (0.95-1.66), 1.08 (0.81-1.44) and 1.37 (1.01-1.85) P for trend = 0.086, diabetes (WHO 1999) ORs 1, 1.05 (0.79-1.39), 1.20 (0.91-1.59) and 1.39 (1.02-1.90) P = 0.037, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR ≥75th percentile of the non-diabetic population): ORs 1, 1.03 (0.82-1.30), 1.22 (0.96-1.55), 1.26 (0.98-1.63) (P for trend = 0.046) as the mean annual temperature (into quartiles) rose. Conclusions Our study reports an association between ambient temperature and the prevalence of dysglycemia and insulin resistance in Spanish adults, consistent with the hypothesis that a lower exposure to cold could be associated with a higher risk of metabolic derangements.