This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Using portable filters to reduce exposure to air pollution during sleep may stabilize the large spikes in blood sugar experienced by people with prediabetes, a condition in which sugar (glucose) levels are higher than normal, a new study shows.

Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the team assessed more than 150 men and women with prediabetes who did not have any known buildup of cholesterol in their arteries, a condition called atherosclerosis.

Prediabetes raises the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and large swings in blood sugar during the day are tied to worsening disease. While experts have linked air pollution to both prediabetes and cardiovascular disease, until now it remained unclear whether using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters at home could improve blood sugar control.

Testing this for the first time in humans, scientists had half the study participants sleep with real bedroom air filters for about a month, while the other half used sham filters that did not clean air. The real filters cut levels of tiny, harmful air particles by 36%.

In turn, this cleaner air was linked to a nearly 8% drop in daily blood sugar swings and smaller morning sugar surges after breakfast. The total extra glucose in the blood after eating breakfast fell by about 17% on average, while peak levels following breakfast decreased by 13%.

"Our findings suggest that cleaner air at home, especially in the bedroom, may help people with prediabetes keep their blood sugar steady and blunt morning spikes," said study lead author and cardiologist Sharine L.

Source link