Does improving air quality benefit brain health? Two studies published this year provide the first evidence of such benefits in an older population.
During the past decade, a growing body of research has shown that air pollution harms older adults' brains, contributing to cognitive decline and dementia. What hasn't been clear is whether improving air quality would benefit brain health.
Both studies are national in scope and account for other factors that could affect results, such as participants' socioeconomic status, neighborhood characteristics, preexisting medical conditions, and lifestyle choices such as smoking. Older adults are especially vulnerable to air pollution's harmful effects because of reduced lung capacity and pollutants' potential to exacerbate conditions such as respiratory illnesses and heart disease. Also, air pollution's effects accumulate over time, and the longer people live the more risks they may encounter.
Newer research suggests that older adults' cognition is affected even when exposures are below standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency."With older adults, there really is no level at which air pollution is safe," said Jennifer Ailshire, an associate professor of gerontology and sociology at the University of Southern California.
Among the questions that Finch said need to be addressed are: Which areas of the brain appear most vulnerable to air pollutants? When are people most at risk? How long does the damage last? Is recovery possible? And do lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise help?
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