That's Fit

In the course of writing for this blog, as well as other fitness publications to which I often contribute, I'm always on the lookout for new health and fitness studies to highlight. In my search, I'm frequently confounded by the amount of contradictory information that exists. Some experts say one thing, while others suggest the exact opposite. Who am I to believe? And just the same, who are you to believe?

Fortunately, Women's Health magazine clears things up a bit in their current issue. Reflecting on the legitimate, supposed, or unfounded things that affect cancer risk, the article is a breath of fresh air in what can oftentimes be an atmosphere polluted with mixed opinions.

Here is a quick look at how the article broke down what's actually worth worrying about and what isn't with regard to increased cancer risk.

PROVEN: Alcoholic beverages, exposure to radon at home, tobacco smoking and second-hand smoke exposure, deliberate sun overexposure

LIKELY: Air pollution, living near a nuclear facility, eating large amounts of processed meats, using tanning beds

UNKNOWN: Cell phones, drinking chlorinated water, nonstick cookware, plastics containing bisphenol A

UNLIKELY: Artificial sweeteners, breast implants, dental fillings, deodorants

Are you one of the 1/3 of Americans who live in a smoggy city? Smog -- a heavy, dark fog primarily composed of ozone -- can trigger asthma symptoms, cause coughing, chest pain, wheezing, or even premature death. The top 10 smoggiest cities are:

• Los Angeles, CA. The air quality is slowing improving in LA, but, on average, it still has 90 days per year with unhealthy ozone levels.
• Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield has an average of 83 days with unhealthy ozone levels each year, as well as other air quality issues.
• Visalia, CA. Lying near Sequoia National Forest, Visalia has an average of 68 high ozone days per year.
• Houston, TX. Nearly 400,000 Houston residents have asthma -- a condition that can be exacerbated by the city's average of 36 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Fresno, CA. In 2000, Fresno had 87 unhealthy ozone days. Now, the city is averaging only 34 unhealthy ozone days per year -- still high enough to land it in the top 10, but amazing progress.
• Sacramento, CA. The fifth city from California's Central Valley to make the list, Sacramento has an average of 25 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Dallas, TX. Dallas has an average of 22 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• New York, NY. With such a constant flow of traffic, it's almost surprising that New York doesn't have more than an average of 12 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Washington DC/Baltimore. Our capitol region has an average of 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge averages 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
  

That stressed out feeling that you get while sitting in traffic may be more than a reaction that being late to work. Researchers recently discovered that exposure to diesel fumes has an effect on how the brain processes information.

Diesel fumes are a known health hazard, implicated for respiratory and cardiovascular problems. But those tiny particles of soot can also lodge in the brain, and just 30 minutes sitting in a fume-filled room caused changes on study participants' EEGs.

Whether or not these changes pose a serious health risk, researchers can't yet say. I'm wondering if there are steps that commuters can take to improve the indoor air quality of their vehicle. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Does your city have trouble with ozone? Ozone is a pollutant that can cause respiratory problems, and if you're looking for a reason not to take shower today, you just may have found it. Researchers recently learned that greasy, unwashed hair absorbs seven times more ozone than clean hair. While it may not have a huge impact when you're outside on a high-ozone day, researchers said that the difference was big enough to clean up the air quality in your immediate vicinity.

Of course, you may be stuck at home a lot more often, since greasy, unwashed hair isn't going to make you very popular. In addition to that, though, the grease in the hair also reacts with ozone to make a by-product that might not be much better for you than the ozone itself.

So rather than changing your hygiene habits, health experts recommend filtering indoor air if you or someone in your home is elderly or has chronic health conditions.

They say that indoor air can be significantly more polluted than outdoor air, especially in newer homes where windows and doors are tightly sealed. Using a HEPA filter can reduce indoor air pollution by removing small particles from the air, like dust, mold, and pet dander.

But recent research also suggests that using a HEPA filter may also improve heart health. Non-smoking elderly participants ran HEPA filters in their homes for 48 hours, and doing so improved the function of small blood vessels. There are small blood vessels that also feed the heart.

When I bought filters for two of the bedrooms in our home, I didn't realize until months later when I went to change the filters that I'd bought "HEPA-like" filters. These do not remove the very fine particles in the air like cat dander so, if you're going to buy a HEPA filter, make sure you read the packaging carefully!

Air pollution is bad for human health -- there is little question about that. But, when it comes to the types of air particles in smog-ridden cities that are the worst for human health, how can types of air pollution be quantified in terms of negative health effects? Hint: on the tiniest level.

A new study out recently connected the smallest, measurable air pollution particles to hardening of the arteries in mice. Atherosclerosis was connected to ultrafine particulates by researcher Dr. Jesus Araujo and his team.

After measuring particulate levels (high, low, none) in three groups of mice, Dr. Araujo found that levels of the smallest particulates breathed in by mice in "dirty air" containers were two to six times higher than inside a typical car on a Los Angeles highway. If you live in LA (or have been there recently), the smog in the air is sometimes so thick it can be sliced with a knife.

The interesting finding here is that the group of mice subjected to only the smallest air particle levels developed the worst atherosclerosis. Food was constant between the three mice groups and no other variables were introduced into the observations.

Live in Los Angeles or Houston? You are probably familiar with smog, otherwise known as lingering air pollution. It can be seen, ingested and can wreak havoc inside our respiratory systems in many cases.

In Europe, a pair of real-world studies recently showed the exact effects on health based on the effects of diesel engine pollution. The results? After 11 years of slight improvements in air pollution levels in Switzerland, measurable health benefits were seen in citizens.

In another study published at the same time, those with asthma saw a greater loss of breathing by walking on a street polluted by diesel fumes compared to walking through a traffic-free park.

Live in a city where thick, murky air pollution makes its way to your lungs every day? Hopefully not, or if you do, perhaps you're in a daily gas mask regimen or something. Air pollution and smog are not laughing matters, but when it comes to those two items affecting heart health, we need to know more.

The effect of diesel smoke and other airborne irritants will be studied over the next five years at West Virginia University to see what problems they cause with the human immune and cardiovascular systems.

This is what I believe to be the first of its kind in the U.S. in terms of an air pollution study over such a long period of time. Lung health is often cited with air pollution studies, but hearth health is a new one (I think).

Walking outside is my favorite way to exercise, so I was disturbed to read this article about athletes in Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield sits near the top of the list of the countries most polluted cities, and it's elite outdoor athletes are feeling it. Athletes take in far more air when working out that those who are sedentary and that elevated level of air pollution can have an effect on the heart and lungs. The problem lies not only with ozone, but with fine particulates, which are found in car, truck, and diesel exhaust. The particulates irritate the lungs and work their way into the bloodstream where they can damage the heart.

It's all enough to make you stay inside where it's nice and safe, isn't it? Health experts say you don't have to, but that it might be in your best interest to pay attention to where and when you're working out. Stay off roads with heavy traffic and work out indoors when the air quality is bad. Most states have websites that let you check your air quality index, and if they don't, here's a less specific national map.

Newer homes are much more efficient at conserving energy, but because they keep indoor air in just as well as they keep outdoor air out, the level of pollutants inside your house can be 100 times more polluted than the air outside. That's because of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, which are released by many of the consumer products we use today -- including furniture, carpets, and building materials, as well as animal dander and mold.

So what can you do about this indoor pollution problem? Many people buy air filters to clean the air in their homes, and in addition there are simple steps you can take to lower the level of VOCs to begin with. Keeping your home as clean and dust free as possible, cleaning your forced air ducts, and putting pleated air filters on your furnace, will all help reduce the amount of pollution in your home. Read all about these techniques and more in this article on cleaner indoor air.

Besides the thought of corn fields taking over our nation to feed our need for fuel, the health and safety of ethanol-based fuels have been a concern of mine since they started gaining popularity. Turns out, my worries haven't been unfounded; a new study has found that ethanol may not be a healthy alternative after all.

Though using the plant-based fuel, derived from crops like corn, sugar beets, and switchgrass, does eliminate two carcinogens that gasoline based fuels spew into the atmosphere, it replaces them with two other cancer-causing emissions: formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Not only that, but based on computer projection models, ethanol-based fuels will actually add to the smog and ozone problems, increasing ozone-related deaths by 4-9%, depending on the area of the country. The added pollution will also increase asthma-related ER visits.

It's clear we need a green alternative to gasoline. It's also clear that the answer is not a simple one. Experts point to battery-electric cars and electric/hydrogen cell combos as a way to keep our cars and reduce toxic emissions. My hope is that we don't rush into a solution that's going to make things worse in the long run, and that we come up with a way to keep the Earth and ourselves healthy.

Air pollution not a small problem, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. There are literally countless studies coming out on the issue on an almost daily basis, none of which seem to have good news (duh!). But with things like traffic causing breathing problems, certain parts of the city increasing risk for stroke, and even livestock pollution from our hamburger habit contributing to global warming, we've all got to pay attention and find ways to get a grip.

Here are a few ideas to to get you (us!) started:

• Take the bus, walk, or bike whenever possible.
• Use an electric or manual lawnmower, instead of a gas one
• Fill your tank up with gas in the evening -- when it's cooler less of the fumes will be released.
• Don't let your car idle for extended periods of time, instead shut it off and restart when you're ready to go.
  

There are so many ideas out there it's really amazing. We all just need to get on board and start using them!

You may be aware of the negative health effects of air pollution in heavily-industrialized cities, but did you know that it could increase your risk for a stroke?

Researchers from Finland cite that even small environmental levels of fine and ultrafine particulate matter can increase stroke risk -- but the risk only seems to happen in warm weather months. I wonder why?

The researchers compared air pollution levels from 1998 to 2004 with the number of stroke deaths among elderly subjects living in Helsinki, Finland to come up with their conclusions. Strikingly, Helsinki is known to have relatively little air pollution.