Risk of death can be reduced by regular exercise even in polluted areas: Study

Being
healthy is the most important aspect of our lives. Just eating healthy and
taking a proper diet isn’t enough. Your body needs movement and physical
exercise too. It keeps your body fit and active.

A new
research tells us that consistent exercise can reduce the risk of death from
natural causes even in areas with air pollution.

The
findings of the study were published in the ‘Canadian Medical Association
Journal’.

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“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
exercise,” wrote Dr Xiang Qian Lao, Jockey Club School of Public Health
and Primary Care, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China,
with coauthors.

“Thus,
habitual exercise should be promoted as a health improvement strategy, even for
people residing in relatively polluted areas,” added Dr Lao.

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For 15 years,
from 2001 to 2016, they studied 384 130 people in Taiwan, looking at how
exercise and exposure to fine particle matter affect the chance of dying from
natural causes.

Even in
polluted locations, the researchers discovered that regular exercise was more
helpful than inactivity, although less exposure to pollution was preferable.

Their
findings suggested that high level of regular exercise combined with a low
level of air pollution exposure was linked to a reduced risk of death from
natural causes, whereas a low level of habitual exercise combined with a high
level of exposure was linked to a greater risk of death from natural causes.

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Other
studies in the United States, Denmark, and Hong Kong have indicated that
regular exercise is helpful, even in polluted locations. Further research in
locations with more severe air pollution are needed, according to the authors.

They
further added that their study reinforces the fact how essential air pollution mitigation
is such as to decrease the hazardous effects of air pollution and maximize the
beneficial effects of regular exercise.

Within the same context, experts from Australia’s The
University of Sydney’s Sydney School of Public Health suggest that physical
inactivity and air pollution should be regarded “syndemic” factors
since they impact behaviour and health consequences.

Inequalities
can be exacerbated by recommending safe activity in polluted regions, such as
indoor exercise, and avoiding walking and bicycling on busy roadways.

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According
to Drs. Ding and Elbarbary, risk reduction measures that do not address the
fundamental causes of noncommunicable illnesses may aggravate health
disparities.

According
to them, people should not have to choose between physical exercise and air
pollution.

Neither
physical inactivity nor air pollution can be good for your health in any way.
It’s important to be active, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your
health. The writers of the opinion said.