Antonio Manaytay – Fourth Estate Contributor
New York City, NY, United States (4E) – When Professor Albert Einstein said the Third World War will be fought with sticks and stones, he must have forgotten to include pollution. A study says pollution could harm the bones, especially among the elderly.
In a study, published in the journal Lancelet Planetary Health, the researchers claimed that living in highly polluted areas could cause bone fractures after observing around 9 million people for the last seven years.
The researchers said that high level of air pollution together with black carbon can cause lower parathyroid hormones and lesser mineral density of the bone to patients when compared to people living in areas with less pollution. These hormones and bone minerals are major contributors to osteoporosis.
“Decades of careful research has documented the health risks of air pollution, from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases to cancer, and impaired cognition, and now osteoporosis,” study senior author Dr. Andrea Baccarelli said in an article published in The Telegraph.
“Among the many benefits of clean air, our research suggests, are improved bone health and a way to prevent bone fractures,” she said.
Dr. Baccarelli, however, said regular intake of Vitamin B can help reduce the possibility of contracting cardiovascular illness and damage to DNA due to air pollution. She did not elaborate if the vitamin can also mitigate the impact of pollution on bone loss.
Eating green leafy vegetables, baked beans, dairy products, and broccoli could also help mitigate the effects of air pollution on the health. These foods are rich in calcium and Vitamin D.
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