Air pollution can hurt the brains of older women-consumer health news

Thursday, November 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -Pollutants in the air-fine particles that are one-thirtieth the width of a hair-can damage the brains of older women.

In a new study, researchers linked this high-level breathing of polluted air to the contraction of areas of the brain that are vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Particle contamination is like a cocktail. There are many things involved,” said Diana Yunan, a senior researcher and author of the University of Southern California. “Of course, it can come from traffic, but it can also come from fires, dust, power plants, farm work.”

Using data from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, the researchers studied more than 700 women in their 70s and 80s who have not yet suffered from dementia. The woman underwent a brain scan at the beginning of the study and about five years later. They also provided a medical history and answered various demographic and health questions.

Studies show that older women exposed to small particles of high levels of air pollution showed more brain contractions in five years.

“The pollution itself may have invaded the brain …. These are very small particles. They are one-thirtieth the size. [the width of] hair. You can’t see it, but it may actually be inhaled through your nose and into your brain, destroying connections and neurons in your brain, “Younan suggested.

“It can also cause a secondary reaction that we are inhaling them into the lungs, which can cause an inflammatory reaction,” she added.

Dr. Thomas Wisniewski is the director of the NYU Langone Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

“It’s clear that this is an important environmental risk factor, and that’s another good reason to try to cleanse the environment,” he said.

“As the world’s population ages, dementia is currently the most expensive healthcare in the world. Given that risk mitigation factors have been identified, it is really appropriate for society to tackle the problem to mitigate this health crisis. That’s what Wisniewski said. I was not involved in the study.

Younan and her colleagues relied on machine learning tools trained to identify patterns of brain contraction specific to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They used the woman’s address to determine the average exposure to contamination three years before the first scan. They then divided the participants into four groups according to their level of exposure to particulate contaminants.

The researchers scored participants’ MRI scans based on their similarity to patterns of Alzheimer’s disease.

Scores range from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating more brain changes. Overall, women’s scores changed from .28 to .44 after five years. For every 3 micrograms of particulate contamination per cubic meter of air, researchers found an increase in average score of .03, indicating a greater degree of brain contraction. This corresponds to a 24% increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

This study cannot prove a direct causal relationship. Still, people living in metropolitan areas may be at greater risk, Younan said.

She also said that some of the exposure levels included in the study were below current US Environmental Protection Agency standards for safes.

“It can have some public health implications, perhaps suggesting that current levels may still be too high,” Younan said.

One of the risks is to pay attention to the air quality numbers, work indoors when the air quality is poor, keep the car vents closed, and remove air pollution through your home air conditioning system. Helps reduce the area.

Wisniewski said that through healthy habits you can also affect your brain health. This includes regular exercise and a Mediterranean diet full of grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Good sleep, activity to keep your brain active, and treatment of blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose problems are also important.

“For the common late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, lifestyle and environmental matters play a very important role. These factors interact with a person’s genetic background, but lifestyle matters It can have a significant impact on the age at which you are symptomatic, “said Wisnievsky.

The findings were published online on November 18th. Neurology..

For more information

The Alzheimer’s Association Reduce the risk of dementia..

Source: Diana Younan, PhD, MPH, Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Thomas Wisniewski, MD, Professor, Neurology, Pathology and Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, and Director of the NYU Langone Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in New York City. Neurology, November 18, 2020, online