Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Risk: Obesity, Diabetes, Smoking, and Pollution

Abstract

Oxidative stress occurs whenever the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds endogenous antioxidant capacity. In this paper, we review the specific role of several cardiovascular risk factors in promoting oxidative stress, namely diabetes, obesity, smoking, and excessive pollution. Specifically, the risk of developing heart failure is higher in patients with diabetes or obesity, even with optimal medical treatment, and the increased release of ROS from cardiac mitochondria and other sources likely contributes to the development of cardiac dysfunction in this setting. Here, we explore the role of different ROS sources arising in obesity and diabetes, and the impact of excessive ROS production on the development of cardiac lipotoxicity. In parallel, contaminants in the air that we breathe pose a significant threat to human health. This paper provides an overview of cigarette smoke and urban air pollution, considering how their composition and biological effects have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health.

Outdoor Air Pollution and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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“…Atmospheric PM encompasses a complex mixture of particulates and liquid droplets with a wide-ranging chemical composition (see Fig. 1; Niemann et al 2017;Environmental Protection Agency, 2018). PM is grouped into three classes based on particle size (Fig.…”

“…; Niemann et al . ; Environmental Protection Agency, ). PM is grouped into three classes based on particle size (Fig.…”

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