7:30 AM
admin
If you're at risk for a heart attack, sitting in heavy traffic and inhaling the fumes could help bring one on within hours. A large, recent study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that the risk of heart attack rises and stays higher than normal for six hours after inhaling those noxious fumes from automotive exhaust. After that, the risk goes back to baseline. Commenting on the study, the director of the British Heart Foundation said that pollution possibly affects heart health by temporarily thickening the blood making it more likely to clot. The investigators analyzed data from more than 79,000 people in 15 areas of the UK who had heart attacks between 2003 and 2006. The research team also referenced the time of day that the heart attacks occurred, plus levels of traffic pollution (including carbon monoxide and ozone) at those times in different parts of the country, to reach their conclusion that the risk rises in the six hours after exposure to the fumes. Their recommendation: if you're at risk for heart attack, stay out of heavy traffic.My take? We've known for some time that exposure to high levels of air pollution correlates with an increased rate of heart attacks, as well as stroke and deaths due to hospitalizations for heart disease, heart failure and lung problems. Earlier studies have also shown that air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque along arterial walls. This study indicates there may be a more critical time-line to the increased risk. The advice to reduce your exposure to heavy traffic is a good one for many reasons, but it isn't something everyone can readily accomplish. To help lower your overall risk, don't smoke, control your blood pressure, get regular exercise and eat a low-glycemic diet.
Posted in: Health,Heart disease,Risk
0 comments:
Post a Comment