Is this why so many city dwellers have health issues? Air pollution found to radically increase stress hormones and alter metabolism

There really is something to be said for getting out into the fresh country air for a day. There is a tangible difference in how much better one feels in the country than in the city, especially if you have a very demanding job. While the stresses and strains of fast-paced city life may partly explain this feeling, new research by Dr. Haidong Kan and colleagues from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, indicates that the air pollution found in industrialized cities also causes a spike in stress hormones, resulting in the development of diseases like stroke, diabetes and heart disease, and ultimately shortening lifespan.

Reuters is reporting that the study, which was published in the journal Circulation, focused specifically on the long-term health effects of the inhalation of particulate matter (PM) smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter from industrial pollution. While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the level of 2.5 PM be kept below 10 to maintain the health of city residents, in some cities these levels exceed 50.

For their study, researchers divided 55 healthy college students from the city of Shanghai, which has moderate pollution levels compared to other Chinese cities, into two groups. Functioning air purifiers were placed in the dorm rooms of one group, while non-working units were placed in the remaining students’ rooms for nine days. After a 12-day gap the machines were swapped and another nine-day test was conducted. The participants were given blood and urine tests at the end of each nine-day period to determine their exposure to PM.

Interestingly, the scientists determined that even over just the nine-day period, levels of the stress hormones cortisone, cortisol, norepinephrine and epinephrine rose when the participants were exposed to the dirtier air. Their blood sugar, amino acid, fatty acid and lipid levels also rose, as did their blood pressure levels. The students also exhibited other indicators of molecular body tissue stress. This combination of stressors would likely lead to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems over time. (Related: Discover other ways in which our environment affects our health at Enviro.news)

“This research adds new evidence on how exposure to PM could affect our bodies, which may (ultimately) lead to higher cardiovascular risk,” Dr. Kan told Reuters Health. “Our result may indicate that particulate matter could affect the human body in more ways than we currently know. Thus, it is increasingly necessary for people to understand the importance of reducing their PM exposure.” (Related: Deep breathing of polluted air puts bike riders at higher risk of lung cancer and strokes.)

Exposure to pollution may not be the only way in which cities can negatively impact our health.

A 2014 study by researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany, set out to determine the impact of stress on city dwellers’ brains. They discovered that in comparison to their country cousins, city slickers did not handle stress well at all.

The researchers purposely induced stress in study participants and then studied its effects on two areas of the brain: The amygdalas and the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC).

The Guardian explains their findings:

The amygdalas are known to be involved in assessing threats and generating fear, while the pACC in turn helps to regulate the amygdalas. In stressed citydwellers, the amygdalas appeared more active on the scanner; in people who lived in small towns, less so; in people who lived in the countryside, least of all.

And something even more intriguing was happening in the pACC. … Again, those with rural childhoods showed the least active pACCs, those with urban ones the most. In the urban group moreover, there seemed not to be the same smooth connection between the behaviour of the two brain regions that was observed in the others. An erratic link between the pACC and the amygdalas is often seen in those with schizophrenia too. And schizophrenic people are much more likely to live in cities.

Clearly, living in the city is not the best choice when it comes to either our mental or physical health. For those of us who have no option, however, it is important to get out into the country and breathe that fresh, clean air as often as possible.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

TheGuardian.com

Breathing nanoparticles from combustion engines causes Alzheimer’s disease… is this why so many city dwellers are losing their minds?

The precise mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease continue to baffle scientists, but a plethora of recent studies have been shedding some light on this mysterious ailment that kills more people each year than prostate cancer and breast cancer combined. Now, a new study has found that the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is “hiding in plain sight,” and the culprit could well be your car.

Researchers in the U.S. and Mexico discovered that inhaling microscopic particles from exhaust fumes caused damage in the brains of children who were as young as three years old. Moreover, the nanoparticles had led to obvious damage in key parts of children’s brains by the time they turned 14.

They reached their conclusions after looking at the brains of 13 children and 21 young adults in Mexico City who died in accidents but were healthy otherwise. The scientists believe this damage could help explain adolescent behavioral problems like violence and could be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

A 14-year-old girl from Mexico City had extremely high levels of PM2.5 in her frontal lobe, the part of the brain that is responsible for important functions like planning, motivation, short-term memory and attention. Other teens and young adults in their 20s showed similar damage. However, children from areas without pollution did not show signs of such damage.

The PM2.5 particles are especially problematic in diesel car emissions. The University of Montana’s Dr. Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas said that people breathe in vehicle emissions through their noses, and they immediately enter the brain and cross the blood-brain barrier. The nanoparticles can cross all barriers and have properties that allow them to create oxidative damage. She considers this a “very serious public health issue, with grave social and economic consequences.”

Growing evidence of link between air pollution and dementia

A University of Toronto study that was published earlier this year discovered that those who live close to main roads and are exposed to traffic fumes had as much as a 12 percent higher chance of developing dementia. They estimated that one out of every nine cases of dementia in those who live within 50 meters of major roads could have been caused by traffic exposure.

These findings also back up an earlier study of people who lived in industrial cities such as Mexico City and Manchester. On that occasion, researchers found magnetite nanoparticles in the frontal cortex of people’s brains who had died in fatal accidents, and they discovered it got there thanks to the air pollution in their local areas. Fine particulate matter has also been linked to problems like diabetes, inflammation, and even heart disease.

Once blamed solely on genetics, evidence has been emerging that lifestyle factors play a much bigger role in Alzheimer’s than previously believed, including obesity, smoking, a lack of exercise, and now air pollution.

Alzheimer’s cases on the rise

This could help explain the dramatic rise in Alzheimer’s disease in recent years. According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, deaths from the illness rose nearly 66 percent between 1999 and 2014. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 5.5 million Americans now have the disease, which can progress at various rates depending on the individual.

It’s not just the patients who are affected; the illness can take a tremendous toll on caregivers both financially and emotionally. It is estimated that for each person who has dementia, three unpaid caregivers are also affected.

One thing is for certain: city life can be hard on the human body. Industrial pollution, a hectic and stressful lifestyle, and being so far removed from nature all have an adverse impact on people’s health.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

CBSNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

ALZ.org

Woman sues France for failing to protect her from air pollution

A woman from Paris is suing the French state for neglecting to protect her from the effects of air pollution, claiming that she has seen her health decline in the past 30 years that she has lived in the French capital city.

The plaintiff, 56-year old Clotilde Nonnez, said her health became worse than ever last December, around the time that pollution in Paris hit a record high, BBC.com reported. Nonnez said that she follows a generally healthy lifestyle, working initially as a dancer and then as a yoga teacher. Despite this, she has suffered from respiratory problems, including chronic asthma and pneumonia.

Nonnez’s health took a turn for the worse in December, when she suffered an acute pericarditis attack as a result of her existing lung condition.

“The doctor treating me says Paris air is so polluted that we’re breathing rotten air. She has other patients like me, including children and babies too. My cardiologist says the same,” Nonnez was quoted as saying in the report.

Her lawyer, Francois Lafforgue said that air pollution is responsible for about 48,000 deaths in France every year. The problem, he said, is a result of the French government’s inaction in dealing with air pollution.

Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower is now often pictured clouded by thick smog — a symbol of the city’s increasingly dangerous battle against toxic air. The air pollution levels in the so-called City of Lights reached “alert threshold” in late December 2016, Independent.co.uk reported. It was the highest level of air pollution the city has seen in a decade.

Officials scrambled to respond to the problem by implementing measures to lessen vehicles on the road, which contributed to the toxicity in the air. Public transport was made free on days when smog was bad, in an effort to encourage the public to leave their cars behind. Free use of bicycles and electric cars were also offered to keep people from driving their cars. The city had also introduced an odd-even number scheme that allowed cars to be driven into the city only on alternate days of the week, depending on their number plate.

Elsewhere in the world, other cities are experiencing the same toxic problem. Experts from the Health Effects Institute have determined that air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter, is the top environmental risk factor death globally, according to the State of Global Air 2017 report. Exposure to fine particulate matter is responsible for around 4.2 million deaths around the world. Breathing fine particulate matter contributes to many deadly diseases, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic lung disease, and respiratory infections.

The report revealed that a troubling 92 percent of the world’s total population live in areas that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) limits for concentrations of fine particulate matter in the air. The most vulnerable countries include China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The first two countries are especially at risk, counting 1.1 million premature deaths due to air pollution in 2015. Numbers were also high in the United States, which counted 88,400 air pollution related deaths in 2015.

While solutions to the air pollution problem are largely dependent on higher authorities, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended several habits that anyone can adopt in an effort to keep the air clean:

• Conserve energy.
• Buy energy-efficient home or office equipment.
• Avoid taking private cars and favor alternative transportation such as carpooling, biking, walking, or taking public transportation.
• Combine errands and reduce trips with your car.
• Avoid automobile idling.
• Follow instructions for refueling, taking caution not to spill fuel and secure the gas cap. Refuel in the evening, when it is cooler.
• Purchase spill-proof portable gasoline containers.
• Maintain cars well, keep engines properlytuned.
• Make sure tires are inflated properly.
• Favor environmentally safe paints and cleaning products.
• Compost yard waste.
• Use gas logs for burning instead of wood.

Get more updates like this on GreenLivingNews.com.

Sources include:

BBC.comIndependent.co.ukStateofGlobalAir.orgEPA.gov

Air Pollution And Heart Disease

All of us live in a very toxic environment, which includes over a million tons of pesticides sprayed every year, all around us. And there doesn’t seem any stopping of pollution anytime soon. So, what does that mean for your heart? Every city or town you go to or live in, is full of air pollution. We’ve known for decades that air pollution continues to worsen with no improvement in sight. no matter how much we fight it. And this much pollution is bound to damage human life, especially your heart and lungs.

Is there any surprise Heart Disease is the #1 killer here? Guess what’s second? Lung Disease! One could assume two different organs, your heart and lungs, couldn’t have the same contributing cause, right? But they do, and it’s pollution!

What Can You Do About Ending Air Pollution? Nothing!

What can you do though is start cleaning out the toxic pollution inside your heart, so you can live long enough to see all your grandchildren grow up. First, you must write down a plan to attack the pollution inside your heart right now. Second, start your plan immediately after you write it down. Lastly, consistently clean out the decades of pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, pollutants, allergens, toxins, mercury, radiation and anything else your heart has accumulated throughout your life.

Remember, your heart is a muscle, a very powerful muscle in fact, which means it can weaken over time when you do not clean it out. Yes, I’m talking about a truly healthy “heart cleanse”. Whatever you do, don’t go to the web and start typing in “heart cleanse”, because you’ll end up with thousands of links that will lead you to more drugs or pills that will just add more toxic accumulation to your heart.

To Clean Out Your Heart, You Must Cleanse Consistently Daily! And Don’t Stop Until Your Heart Is As Strong As A Horse!

If you wonder how long it will take to feel your heart pumping stronger, I can tell you that on average only a few days after you start. But no matter how long it takes, as long as you continue to cleanse your heart daily, your heart will continue to strengthen. And you never need to worry about side-effects or interactions with any treatments you are doing.

I know it’s been a long road, trying treatment after treatment and still can’t strengthen your heart the way your heart needs to be strengthened. This is the missing link to repairing your damaged heart and finally strengthening it starting today!

resources

eandtnews.com/story/94600/the-worlds-only-pesticide-cleanse

naturalnews.com/2017-02-04-toxic-particles-from-air-pollution-is-causing-peoples-brains-to-swell

sott.net/article/242516-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease