Improving the quality of air we breathe can greatly reduce cardiovascular risks, especially in people with existing heart problems, according to a study conducted in China.
Although the study does not claim that air purifiers play a direct role in preventing heart attacks or any other major cardiovascular problems, results do indicate that multiple risk factors for heart disease improved when young and healthy adults were exposed to ‘fresh’ air.
The study conducted by Dr. Ang Zhao and Dr. Renjie Chen from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, took 35 healthy college students from Shanghai and placed either a real or fake air purifier in their dorm rooms for 48 hours. The students were asked to repeat the experiment after a gap of two weeks, this time switching the ‘type’ of air purifiers they used the last time around.
The results showed that students with the real air purifiers showed significant improvements in multiple measures of blood clotting and inflammation. The air pollution in the dorm room fell down by more than 56%, from 96 micrograms per cubic meter to around 40 micrograms per cubic meter. The students also showed significant improvements in lung function and blood vessel constriction coupled with reduced blood pressure.
“In countries of the world where air pollution is a problem, I think this would be especially important,” commented Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan, co-author of this study and a cardiologist at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in Baltimore.
According to the World Health Organizaiton (WHO), 35 micrograms of miniscule air particles per cubic meter is the upper limit for air to be considered as ‘not polluted’. However the daily air pollution in major cities in Asia frequently exceed 100 to 500 microgram per cubic meter, wrote Rajagopalan in his paper.
Dr. Rachel Taliercio, a lung specialist in The Cleveland Clinic’s Asthma Centre in Ohio, said that indoor air purifiers may not turn out to be beneficial for all patients. Taliercio argues that since the pollutant levels in North America, for example, is much lower than in China, it will be hard to quantify and make a direct comparison of the benefits of air purifiers. However those who live near high-pollution zones, such as coal power plants and major highways, investing in an air purifier might be a good idea, said Taliercio, who was not involved in the study.
