Adults with higher levels of a common air pollutant in their urine tend to have slightly more abdominal fat distribution, as measured by two specific body shape indices, compared to those with lower...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Pollution chemicals get stored in fat tissue and change how fat cells manage energy, causing more fat to collect around the organs inside the belly rather than under the skin. This makes the belly appear rounder without making the whole body heavier.
Most probable mechanism
Chemicals from air pollution enter the body and interfere with how fat cells store and release energy, causing fat to build up more around the middle organs instead of under the skin, making the belly look rounder without necessarily increasing overall weight.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enter systemic circulation and accumulate in adipose tissue due to their lipophilic nature.
These compounds activate aryl hydrocarbon receptors in adipocytes, altering gene expression related to lipid storage and lipolysis.
This leads to preferential accumulation of lipid droplets in visceral adipose tissue over subcutaneous depots, increasing abdominal fat volume relative to total body mass.
The resulting shift in fat distribution increases the ratio of abdominal circumference to height and hip circumference, elevating A Body Shape Index and Conicity Index independently of total body weight.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Associations between exposure to environmental pollutants, metabolic syndrome risk, and obesity-related anthropometric indices.
Contradicting (0)
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