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If you walk on busy city streets, respiration in traffic fumes can cancel out the health advantages of exercise, a brand new study suggests.
The study, based in London, was published online on December 5, 2017. The Lancet, included 119 volunteers over the age of 60 who were either healthy or had stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or stable heart disease. They all walked for 2 hours at two different places within the afternoon. One was in a quiet a part of Hyde Park, where air pollution will likely be inside healthy limits. The other was in a busy shopping area on Oxford Street, where pollution levels resembling black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, and wonderful particles commonly reach dangerous levels. The walks were three to eight weeks apart.
All volunteers enjoyed a walk within the park. Their lung capability improved inside an hour, an effect that lasted for twenty-four hours in many individuals. In contrast, a walk along Oxford Street barely registered any such profit. Exercise also improves blood flow and makes the arteries less rigid. But this improvement was limited amongst volunteers after walking along Oxford Street.
As the study's authors advise: “Walking exercise should be enjoyed in urban green spaces away from high-density traffic.”
