Air pollution affects the human body in several ways, and it can become a reason for many diseases. New research at the University of Arizona in Tucson, USA, claims that in areas with high air pollution, people don’t derive as many benefits from exercise and physical activity. This study has been published in the Journal of Neurology. The research was done on 8,000 people with an average age of 56 years.
According to the study, air pollution reduces the benefits that a human otherwise gains from regular exercise and physical activity. The researchers have analysed the data of more than 8,000 people from a large biomedical database.
Researchers studied the effect of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter on people. To measure the physical activity of each person, a device was installed on their body.
The researchers then found that many positive changes were seen in the brain of those who did vigorous exercise every week. On the other hand, people who were living in areas with high air pollution did not see all those positive changes in their brains.
University of Arizona, Scholar and author, Melissa believes that vigorous exercise can increase exposure to air pollution, and earlier studies have shown that air pollution has adverse effects on the brain. Hence, it is clear that air pollution reduces the benefits of exercise.
Research scholar Melissa said, “During the study, we observed that the relationship of physical activity in areas with low air pollution was associated with brain benefits. At the same time, the areas with a high level of air pollution had an impact on the benefits of exercise. The study shows that air pollution affects brain health.”
She further said, “On the other hand, the benefits of vigorous exercise are much more than this. It makes one feel about three years younger than the age. So it is clear that it is wrong to skip exercise due to air pollution.”
