The research we're taking a look at.
Photo: © RoBeDeRo/Getty Images
Good news for urban dwellers: The cardiovascular advantages of your exercise aren't canceled out by the health risks of automotive exhaust fumes in your city air. A study in Journal of the American Heart Association It found that regular exercise reduced the chance of heart attack even when people were commonly exposed to moderate to high levels of air pollution attributable to traffic. Air pollution is understood to extend the chance of heart attacks in addition to respiratory problems, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers studied data from greater than 51,000 people between the ages of fifty and 65, taking a look at how often people exercised and their exposure to traffic pollutant nitrogen dioxide, amongst other lifestyle aspects. Over an 18-year period, about 3,000 of those people had a primary heart attack, and 324 had a repeat heart attack.
People who lived in areas with high levels of nitrogen dioxide had a 17% higher risk of a primary heart attack and a 39% higher risk of a recurrent heart attack, in comparison with individuals who had no traffic. They were less vulnerable to contamination. But regular exercise appears to scale back this risk. Regardless of air quality, lively participants had a 15% lower initial heart attack rate. So, even when the air you're respiration is lower than ideal, regular exercise helps protect your heart.