UK government researchers recently published their findings after reviewing nearly 70 studies on how prolonged exposure to pollution affects the brain. The results suggest that air pollution may increase the risk of developing dementia, The Guardian reports,
The possibility that an accelerated “cognitive decline” and an increased risk of “developing dementia” points primarily to older people. Experts believe that this is due to pollutants entering the circulatory system, affecting blood flow to the brain.
“The results are heterogeneous in terms of other cognitive domains such as executive function, attention, memory, language and mild cognitive impairment. Identified neuroimaging studies consistently report an association between air pollution exposure and white matter atrophy.
On the results, the researchers urge to continue collecting valuable information to help develop more evidence in these cases. According to the country’s National Health Service (NHS), there are currently around 850,000 people with dementia in the UK.
In particular, there is strong evidence that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of heart disease. Breathing the emesis can cause damage to the blood vessels by making them narrower and more difficult. According to the British Heart Foundation, this increases the chances of blood clots, abnormal heart rhythms and heart attacks.
with information from Guardian/
