Regular exercise, even in polluted areas, reduces the risk of death from natural causes.
- Less exposure to pollution is better for your health.
- It is also possible to adapt its level of activity to that of the level of pollution.
Even in the event of pollution, physical exercise remains the solution. In a new study published on August 16 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers from Hong Kong claim that pollution does not negate the benefits of physical exercise in reducing the risk of death from natural causes. “Habitual exercise reduces the risk of death regardless of exposure to air pollution, and air pollution generally increases the risk of death regardless of habitual exerciseadvances Dr. Xiang Qian Lao, lead author of the study. Thus, habitual exercise should be promoted as a health-enhancing strategy, even for people residing in relatively polluted areas..”
Sport and pollution, a better cocktail than inactivity
The researchers examined 384,130 adults in Taiwan for 15 years, between 2001 and 2016. They studied the effects of regular exercise and long-term exposure to fine particles on the risk of death from natural causes.
They found that a higher level of regular exercise versus inactivity is beneficial, even in polluted areas. “We found that a high level of habitual exercise and a low level of air pollution exposure were associated with a lower risk of death from natural causes, whereas a low level of habitual exercise and a high level of exposure were associated with a higher risk of death”, wrote the authors of the study.
Adapt your activity according to pollution peaks
Less exposure to pollution is better for your health. The best thing is to exercise in an unpolluted area. “Further studies in areas with more severe air pollution are needed to examine the applicability of our results.say the researchers. Our study reinforces the importance of air pollution mitigation, for example to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution and maximize the beneficial effects of regular exercise..”
It is also possible to adapt its level of activity to that of the level of pollution. In an interview, Matthieu Lecuyer, co-founder and general manager of the company R-Pur, advised people to find out about air quality and to adapt their activity according to pollution peaks. “Mobile applications exist and take into account different parameters such as weather and hydrometry to calculate and anticipate future peakshe said. It is also necessary to stay away from polluted sites as much as possible. From heat maps are available online to find out where they are. You should avoid doing sports near airports, for example, the air quality is very bad there..”
.
