Thick air: How fine dust can harm runners
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.People who exercise too little are more likely to die. But what happens if you live in the big city and inhale a lot of fine dust during outdoor activities?
“Sport, sport, sport!” Admonishes everyone who is familiar with health. The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes a week. But what happens if you live in the big city and inhale a lot of fine dust during outdoor activities?
Researchers working with Rudy Sinharay did not study this on young joggers, but on 119 people who were over 60 years old. A third of them were in good health, another third suffered from COPD, a lung disease that is mainly caused by tobacco smoke, but also by other air pollutants. The last third suffered from coronary heart disease (CHD). The coronary arteries that supply the heart are narrowed, so that an undersupply can occur.
Park or Main Street?
Participants took a two-hour walk. One on Oxford Street - a busy street in the British capital with plenty of diesel emissions from taxis and buses. The others walked in the idyllic Hyde Park. After a week, the walking areas were swapped.
Before and three hours after the walk, the researchers determined the maximum amount of air the participants could exhale within one second (forced one-second capacity, FEV1). It is known that this exhalation force decreases when the lungs are stressed, for example by fine dust.
Braked pulse wave
They also measured what is known as the pulse wave speed. The speed at which the blood flows through the arteries after a heartbeat is measured. This provides information about the flexibility and condition of the vessels: the more rigid the vessel wall, the faster the pulse wave. The researchers compared the data obtained with the respective current particulate matter pollution.
The results: In the healthy participants, the FEV1 increased by 7.5 percent after the Hyde Park walk, on Oxford Street the gain in available breathing air was only insignificant.
The pulse wave speed of the Hyde Park walkers decreased by five percent; on Oxford Street, it increased by seven percent - a difference of 12.5 percent.
Particulate matter hits the sick harder
The sick were hit harder: In COPD patients, the poor air quality provoked more symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath and sneezing. In patients with CHD who were not taking medication, the stiffness of the arteries increased.
Even if the study does not yet provide reliable figures, it confirms for both healthy and sick people: it's better to go out for a run!
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