Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
People thinking about running, jogging, or otherwise exercising in an urban environment may be put off by the idea of inhaling air pollution, but a new study has found that the benefits of exercise outweigh the negative impacts of pollution.
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Published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, the new study compared the effects of air pollution to exercise as that relate to mortality.
“Air pollution is often perceived as a barrier to exercise in urban areas. In the face of an increasing health burden due to rising physical inactivity and obesity in modern societies, our findings provide support for efforts in promoting exercise, even in urban areas with high pollution,” said Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, an epidemiologist from the University of Copenhagen. “However, we would still advise people to exercise and cycle in green areas, parks, and woods, with low air pollution and away from busy roads, when possible.”
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In the study, researchers looked at data for over 52,000 individuals, ages 50 to 65 years old, from two major Danish cities: Aarhus and Copenhagen. From 1993 to 97, participants documented their physical activities, including everything from sports to gardening and walking. The scientists then calculated air pollution levels from traffic at their home addresses.
The study team saw that 5,500 participants died before 2010, with about 20 percent fewer deaths among those who exercised compared to those who didn’t. The relationship even held for participants who lived in the most polluted areas of Copenhagen and Aarhus.
“Even for those living in the most polluted areas of Copenhagen, it is healthier to go for a run, a walk, or to cycle to work than it is to stay inactive,” Andersen said.
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“It is also important to note that these results pertain to Denmark and sites with similar air pollution levels, and may not necessary be true in cities with several fold higher air pollution levels, as seen in other parts of the world,” she added.
One study published in February found that people living in certain parts of India are inundated with deadly levels of air pollution on a daily basis. Indians living in the most polluted areas lose an average of 3.2 years from their life compared to those living in non-polluted areas, the study found.
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