A common chemical which turns things like food, medicines, toothpastes and paper white could cause type 2 diabetes, a study has found. Titanium dioxide is widely used in food and cosmetics for its brilliant white properties, but scientists found it crystallises in the pancreas of diabetics. The small study by the University of Texas suggests people without diabetes do not have the chemical in the body, which could point to a groundbreaking link between the condition and everyday objects.

一项研究发现，食品、药品、牙膏和纸张生产中常见的增白剂可能是2型糖尿病的元凶之一。二氧化钛因其增白特性被广泛应用于食品和化妆品中，但科学家在糖尿病患者的胰腺中发现了二氧化钛的结晶。得克萨斯大学的这项小型研究指出，没有糖尿病的人体内没有这种化学物质，这一突破性发现可能意味着糖尿病和增白剂之间有联系。

WHAT IS TITANIUM DIOXIDE?

什么是二氧化钛？

Titanium dioxide is a fine white powdered form of the metal element titanium. The chemical is not thought to occur naturally inside the human body. It is commonly used around the world because it is brilliant white and can be used to colour a huge range of objects. Everyday items which are likely to contain titanium dioxide as a colourant include toothpaste, suncream, makeup – in which it is used to brighten the skin, plastics, paper, wall paint, ink and white medicine pills. Researchers say the chemical may enter the human bloodstream if it is inhaled or eaten.

二氧化钛是白色细粉末状的钛金属。据称，人体不会自然生成这种化学物质。二氧化钛因其亮白特性可以用于给多种物品着色而在全世界被普遍使用。含有二氧化钛增白剂的日常用品包括牙膏、防晒霜、美白化妆品、塑料、纸张、墙漆、墨水和白药丸。研究人员称，这种化学物质在被吸入或食入后会进入人体血液。

Titanium dioxide began to be widely used in the mid-1900s to replace toxic lead-based colourings in household items like paint and plastics. Scientists say since the 1960s, around four million tonnes of the chemical have been produced each year and, since the 1970s, cases of type 2 diabetes have quadrupled.

上世纪中叶，二氧化钛取代有毒含铅染色剂在油漆和塑料等家居用品中被广泛使用。科学家指出，自上世纪60年代以来，每年生产出约400万吨二氧化钛，而从上世纪70年代至今，患2型糖尿病的病例数量翻了两番。

One expert said the use of the white colouring 'could be a factor in the type 2 diabetes epidemic.'

一位专家表示，增白剂的使用“可能是导致2型糖尿病流行的因素之一”。

Now, the scientists in Austin, Texas, suggest the particles may damage the pancreas by provoking an immune response from white blood cells, causing inflammation and which kills healthy cells in the organ.

得州奥斯汀市的科学家指出，二氧化钛可能会引发白血球的免疫反应，导致炎症，杀死胰腺中的健康细胞，从而损害胰腺。

Type 2 diabetes is described as an 'epidemic' by one of the researchers. More than 3.5 million people in the UK, and over 422 million worldwide, have diabetes, and 90 percent of them have type 2.

一位研究人员将2型糖尿病称为“流行病”。英国超350万人、全球超4.22亿人有糖尿病，90%的患者得的是2型糖尿病。

The condition is caused by insulin – a hormone which is made by the pancreas – either not being used properly by the body or not being made in large enough quantities. This means the body cannot regulate blood sugar levels properly, which increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blindness and kidney failure.

糖尿病的病因是人体无法正常使用胰岛素或胰岛素分泌不足（胰岛素是胰腺分泌的一种激素）。这意味着人体无法正常调节血糖水平，从而会增加心脏病、中风、失明和肾衰竭的风险。

The buildup of titanium dioxide exclusively in the pancreases of people with type 2 diabetes suggests a link between the two. To discover this link researchers studied pancreas specimens from 11 people to look for evidence of titanium dioxide.

二氧化钛仅在2型糖尿病患者体内积聚，意味着这两者之间有联系。科学家研究了11个人的胰腺样本，寻找二氧化钛的踪迹，结果发现了这一联系。

Eight of the pancreases were from people who had type 2 diabetes and three were from those who did not. All eight of the diabetic pancreases contained crystallised particles of titanium dioxide, but none of the non-diabetic ones did.

8份胰腺样本来自2型糖尿病的患者，3份胰腺样本来自没有患2型糖尿病的人。8份糖尿病患者胰腺样本中都含有二氧化钛的结晶微粒，而没有糖尿病的人的胰腺样本中都没有发现二氧化钛。

The research was led by Dr Adam Heller, a diabetes expert, who suggests titanium dioxide particles could cause diabetes in a similar way to how asbestos particles cause lung disease – by damaging healthy body tissue.

该研究的领头人、糖尿病专家亚当•海勒医生指出，二氧化钛微粒导致糖尿病的方式可能和石棉微粒导致肺病的方式相似，都是通过破坏健康的人体组织。

As titanium dioxide production has boomed since the 1960s, the percentage of the world's population with type 2 diabetes nearly doubled from 4.7 percent in 1980 to 8.5 percent in 2014, according to the World Health Organisation.

世界卫生组织的数据显示，自从上世纪60年代二氧化钛开始大量生产以来，全世界的2型糖尿病患者比例从1980年的4.7%上升到了2014年的8.5%，几乎翻倍。

'The increased use of titanium dioxide over the last five decades could be a factor in the type 2 diabetes epidemic,' Dr Heller said.

海勒医生说：“过去50年二氧化钛使用的增加可能是导致2型糖尿病高发的因素之一。”