Bedroom Air Filters Linked to Steadier Blood Sugar in Prediabetes Trial

What you eat for breakfast can affect your blood sugar. Could the air you breathed the night before matter, too? A study presented November 8 at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions tested that idea with a device you might already have at home.

What researchers tested

NYU Langone Health researchers randomly assigned more than 150 adults with prediabetes in New York City to use either a working HEPA air cleaner or a look-alike device that didn’t filter the air. Participants kept the devices in their bedrooms for about a month and wore continuous glucose monitors before and after the filtration period.

The working filters cut levels of fine airborne particles by 36%. Researchers also reported that daily blood sugar swings decreased by nearly 8% and that the peak after breakfast was 13% lower. The 8% figure refers to how much blood sugar fluctuated over the day.

What one month can tell us

The findings are preliminary and apply to the adults with prediabetes who took part in the trial. Researchers plan to study whether the effect lasts and whether cleaner indoor air can slow progression to type 2 diabetes. For now, the trial gives researchers a concrete reason to look beyond the breakfast plate when studying what drives morning blood sugar spikes.