Medicine

How does air pollution affect the development of dementia?

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Dementia is unavoidable, but there are ways to reduce risk factors. A study published in Express showed that the risk of the disease depends largely on a person's lifestyle. In addition to smoking, alcoholism, and unhealthy eating habits, there are other risk factors for dementia that can be fully controlled.

Polluted outdoor air is extremely dangerous for humans. The risk of developing dementia increases by three percent for every microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) of air pollution.

“As people continue to live in polluted places, conditions like dementia are becoming more common, so identifying and understanding preventable risk factors is key to reducing the spread of this disease,” — Ehsan Abolhasani, study author.

The World Health Organization has found that more than 90 percent of the population lives in places where the level of air pollution is much higher than acceptable. The sample for the study included more than 90 million people, of which 5.5 million developed dementia.

If you can't move from a polluted place, then there are other ways to reduce your risk of getting sick:

  • Stopping smoking and alcohol

  • Increased physical activity

  • Normalization of vitamin D in body

  • Increased load on the brain

Reading, solving puzzles, and being social can help prevent dementia. During these exercises, the density of neural connections increases, and extensive connections are created between the hemispheres of the brain, which has a beneficial effect on the body.

Healthy nutrition can significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease. To begin with, you should give up fatty foods, fast food and sweets.

It is extremely important to pay attention to the level of air pollution when choosing a place of residence. This will not only reduce your risk of developing dementia, but also improve your well-being.

Polluted air is just as dangerous as tobacco smoke, and much more harmful than, for example, excess salt intake.

There are other diseases whose risk is increased by polluted air:

  • Cancer

  • Stroke

  • Heart disease

  • Pregnancy complications

  • Respiratory tract disease

It is important to remember that polluted air has a negative impact on the health of children under 6 years of age. First of all, on the state of the respiratory tract and the nervous system. Children are more exposed to polluted air than adults. One reason for vulnerability is that children breathe faster than adults, so they absorb more pollution.

Read also: Toxicologist Kutushov: your health may be at risk if you choose the wrong pan and pan.

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Important! Information provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and under no circumstances self-medicate. At the first sign of illness, consult a doctor.