Credit: iStockphoto/Michael Valdez
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071108135522.htm
Have you ever noticed the colour of the sky when the sun starts to set? That beautiful orange-pink colour is actually caused by the air particles of pollution, which researchers now found it to be closely correlated to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Research Study
Our air contains hundreds of millions of small particles, some harmless, others not so much. A new study obtained data from over 130,000 adults aged 50-79 years old (all registered to a family doctor on Jan 1st, 2005) and measured their exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels from their homes in London. NO2 was used to measure this correlation because it is found from the emissions of burning fuels, like a coal burning stove, the cars we drive on a daily basis, power plant systems, and anything to do with fossil fuels being processed found worldwide. The results show that there was a positive correlation between high concentrations of air pollution and an increase in risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The study couldn’t explain the effects of the variables that were hard to control but in this video narrated by Caleb Finch, professor at the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, explains the biological aspect of how air pollution affects the brain:
Video Created by: USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
In summary of the video, the fine particles from fossil fuels first enter our nose, which then easily reaches the brain as well as the lungs. These particles create an effect on the brain cells, causing inflammation and swelling of the cells which accelerates the progression of Alzheimer’s. Experiments were conducted on rats that carried the Alzheimer’s gene in its DNA, called APOE e4, exhibiting a larger increase in brain amyloid (proteins in the brain that build up along the walls, causing dementia) than those without the gene.
Credit: Martin Basinger https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-cd611d7893ad257d1ee98e8d6d97732a
With dementia being one of the biggest health problems in the world, if the link between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease is fully proven, preventing it through improving our air quality might be the only solution to at least reduce the numbers. Knowing that pollution easily comes from the cars and buses used on a daily basis, should we start wearing face masks to reduce our own risk of Alzheimer’s disease?
Loretta Huang
