The study "Longitudinal associations of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, residential greenness, and air temperature with type 2 diabetes subphenotypes: results from the KORA cohort study", published in the journal Environment International, investigates the relationship between environmental factors and different forms of type 2 diabetes.

Based on data from the KORA study from 2006 to 2008 and 2013 to 2014, people with type 2 diabetes were categorised into three subtypes. A distinction was made between insulin deficiency-related, age-associated and insulin-resistant diabetes.

The results show that higher exposure to particulate matter and soot particles is associated with an increased risk of insulin-resistant diabetes. In addition, combinations of air pollution, greater temperature fluctuations, lower average temperatures and low greening increased the risk of age-associated and insulin-resistant diabetes.

The study makes an important contribution to understanding the role of environmental factors in the development of diabetes and provides starting points for targeted prevention strategies.

The article has been published as an open access article and is freely accessible (link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.110043).