Author: Maria Restrepo

Air Pollution and Diabetes

by Maria Restrepoin More news

The International Diabetes Federation says diabetes mellitus (common diabetes) affects around 400 million people across the world. Research in the past 10 years has shown that environmental irritants in the air and water play a role in these figures. A number of studies have now shown that air pollution has a synergy with other dominant factors and accelerates the propensity for type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes.

At The Duke University rats were exposed to air with highly polluted air (similar to Beijing readings) or filtered air for 19 days. The group of rats exposed to the Beijing air had 50% higher cholesterol level, 46% higher triglycerides and 97% higher total cholesterol.

What is happening in Asia?

Yes! Many studies have been conducted analysing this relation in humans. A study by the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München showed how air pollution at the place of residence increases the risk of developing pre-diabetic insulin resistance.

“Whether the disease becomes manifest and when this occurs is not only due to lifestyle or genetic factors, but also due to traffic-related air pollution,” said Professor Annette Peters, director of the Institute of Epidemiology II at Helmholtz Zentrum München and head of the research area of epidemiology of the DZD.

“The results revealed that people who already have an impaired glucose metabolism, so-called pre-diabetic individuals, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution,” said Dr. Kathrin Wolf, lead author of the study. “Thus, over the long term — especially for people with impaired glucose metabolism — air pollution is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.”

Researchers from King Saudi University, Saudi Arabia, further acknowledged that traffic associated pollutants, NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), tobacco smoke and particulate matter have the strongest link with diabetes. And researchers from Naples University in Italy quantified the risk of future diabetes between 10 and 27% associated with exposure to just a 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5. In the most recent research, a US study looked at 1000 Mexican-Americans and found that PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with diabetes risk factors, with an effect equivalent to that of obesity, the authors noted.

What is happening in Asia?

Asia is affected by the double burden of high levels of air pollution and a high percentage of the population with diabetes. In fact, Asian countries have 60% of the world’s diabetic population. China alone is leading this statistic with 10% of its population (98 million) affected by diabetes. This is the result of a combination of factors: socio-economic growth and industrialization; urbanization spreading widely and notable lifestyle changes. Moreover, Asians have genetically a higher predisposition for diabetes, they develop diabetes earlier and with lower body mass index and waist circumference when compared with the Western population. Prof Juliana Chan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong says there is a complex interplay between genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors, which have been compounded by China’s rapid modernisation. Worryingly, if we combine the higher predisposition to diabetes, the nearly 50% smoking rate among adult men, the change of diet due to globalization and the very high air pollution levels, we can understand the extent of the risk in Asia.

What can we do about it?

Reduce the effect of air pollutants on your diabetes risk:

  • Avoid smoking or passive smoking;
  • Know your indoor air quality and control it;
  • Protect yourself when exposed to outdoor air, especially when its highly polluted;
  • Adopt a healthy diet; and
  • Increase your level of physical activity.

Sources:

Diabetes Journal – Air Pollution and Type 2 Diabetes

Science Daily – Air pollution, a risk factor for diabetes

NIH -Effect of environmental air pollution on type 2 diabetes mellitus

NIH – Particulate matter pollutants and risk of type 2 diabetes: a time for concern?

REUTERS – Air pollution not just bad for your lungs

TIME – Study: Air Pollution Heightens Risk of Obesity and Diabetes

Better Air Quality is the Smart City Challenge

by Maria Restrepoin More news

Cities across the globe are facing increasing levels of air pollution. Particles so small that we cannot see and gases at ground level, penetrate our bodies affecting us in many ways: cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory illnesses, strokes, heart attacks, asthma and many more are all common effects of air pollution.

What can cities do?

WHO’s initiative ‘Breathe Life 2030’ calls for cities to take action in the following areas to reduce air pollution:

  • TRANSPORT: does your city have a solid transport system? Are car emissions controlled? Think about…
  • Walking and Cycling paths
  • Efficient mass transport
  • Controlled emission standards
  • Soot-free vehicles

Cities that transform into pedestrian & cycle-friendly and with efficient mass transit systems and controlled emissions generate less pollution and are more liveable.

  • ENERGY SUPPLY: Cities are big energy consumers, striving for cleaner energy production is key. Think about…
    • Renewable power supply
    • Diesel replacement

Cleaner energy production will impact positively the air quality in that given city.

  • WASTE: proper landfill management can decrease the emission of gases.
  • INDUSTRY: industries in and around cities should be strictly controlled for their emissions.
  • AGRICULTURE: agricultural areas around cities should be careful with irrigation, reduce open burning and manure management to control emission of gases and particulate matter affecting nearby cities.
  • HOUSEHOLD: households should be helped to make sure they use low-emission stoves and fuels, improved lighting and passive building design.

However, the first step is always to understand local air pollution, how does it build up in a city, when and how does it clear up. Each city has different patterns of producing air pollution and different natural ways of dispersing it. Understanding how this interaction happens is essential for any city to take steps to improve air quality.

Monitor, monitor, monitor!

Nowadays cities have a handful of high-end air quality monitoring stations that provide a broad view of air quality in any given city. This information may also be compared or complemented with satellite images. But both options provide general information. In real time, most cities cannot precisely say the pollution levels at block level or intersection level. This is a limitation to understanding local air pollution and to taking precise local measures to improve air quality or to measuring the effectiveness of any given measure.

Be a smart city, track outdoor air quality with meo air analytics: have multiple data points, understand local air pollution and find data oriented solutions!

Source:
BREATHELIFE – A global campaign for clean air

Let’s help our body fight pollution: 4 nutrients not to miss!

by Maria Restrepoin Featured

Worried about air pollution? Wondering what else could be done? Today’s tip is on optimal nutrition to help your body fight air pollution. Research has shown that the health effects of air pollution are caused because the body has an inflammatory response that overtime degenerates into disease.

“Recent research has highlighted the potential of targeted nutrition to combat the decreased antioxidant capability, respiratory inflammation and neurological symptoms associated with certain pollutants.” explains Dr Daniel Raederstorff, principal scientist, DSM.

Infact good nutrition is the key to empower our body to moderate that inflammatory response. There are a number of studies that pinpoint micronutrients that increase protection from air pollution through increasing antioxidant functions and reducing inflammatory reactions. These are Vitamin C and E, Beta-Carotene and Omega 3. In addition, studies have found specifically that persons with low B6 and B12 have higher susceptibility to the effects of air pollution.

“Nowdays diets are characterized by an increasing intake of prepackaged foods. This dietary pattern results in a nutrient profile that is low in beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),” agrees Professor Lisa Wood, Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, University of Newcastle, Australia.

“As these nutrients protect against inflammation, populations are thus more susceptible to the damaging effects of pollutants, which can trigger chronic diseases such as asthma. Increasing the intake of antioxidants and PUFAs may reduce inflammation, providing opportunities for asthma management.”

What should I eat to help my body fight air pollution?

VITAMIN E- an antioxidant that helps protect against injuries in organs and can be found in dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, avocados, shellfish, fish, plant oils, broccoli, squash, avocado and fruits. Research at King’s College, London, has shown that people suffering from lung diseases have decreased levels of vitamin E.

VITAMIN C- is a powerful anti-oxidant that can be found in citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, berries, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, kiwifruit, guava, peas and papaya.


Beta Carotene- an antioxidant found in carrots, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cantaloupe, and winter squash.

Omega 3 (polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)- omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation. Flaxseed oil, fish oil, chia seeds, walnuts, fish roe (eggs), fatty fish, seafood, soybeans, and spinach. Many of which are also rich in Vitamin B6 and/or B12.

Other foods commonly recommended are spirulina, cilantro and chlorella.

Start now and boost your body’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity!

Sources:

DSM – Talking Nutrition

Crop Burning and Air Pollution

by Maria Restrepoin More news

From the haze suffered by Singapore every year to the increasing air pollution in rural Asia and Africa and the recent spike of pollution in New Delhi, crop burning is the main culprit in the former and a key contributor in the latter.

Recent research in Europe has shown that smoke from wildfires, agricultural management and prescribed burns raises PM2.5 concentrations and other pollutants even in areas hundreds and thousands of miles from the physical fire. Researchers from Finland estimated that fires between 2005 and 2008 in Europe alone caused more than 2500 premature deaths. The main concern with these landscape fires is that they affect the immediate community but the air quality is detrimentally affected even thousands of miles away, depending on the atmospheric conditions.

This is exactly the case in Singapore, which is regularly affected by smoke haze due to regional forest fires,  from agricultural management in Indonesia. Made particularly bad due to the peat soils in the palm plantations which release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The haze is aggravated by poor precipitation and changes in wind direction. Similarly,  New Delhi sees spikes in air pollution due to a mix of crop burning from the adjacent region, excessive firecracker usage during Diwali celebration and specific atmospheric conditions.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), in 2000 it was estimated that 350 million hectares of land were affected by fire. Generally, most fires are caused by people for various agricultural and industrial purposes. FAO considers that greater awareness is needed on the economic and social consequences of crop burning and how to effectively manage it for both individuals and governments.

Although, according to FAO, the region most affected by fires is Africa, Asia has its fair share. The Association of South-East Asian countries (ASEAN) agreed in 2003 on a ‘zero burning policy’ for large scale agricultural businesses. The agreement, which was not signed by Indonesia, included sharing of ‘zero burning’ agricultural techniques and practices, management tools and other mechanisms to ensure ‘zero burning’ practices by large companies. However, the agreement acknowledged that small farmers could not cope with the costs associated with undertaking ‘zero burning’ practices. More than ten years from that agreement, we now know that little has been done for its successful implementation.

“The lack of government transparency makes it very hard for independent monitoring: concession maps are incomplete, data is lacking and we clearly have weak enforcement of laws,” said Greenpeace South East Asia forest campaigner Yuyun Andrade.

Indonesia has almost 15m hectares of peatland today, between 2000 and 2010 peatland declined by 41% in Sumatra, 90% of that deforestation is believed to have been carried out by palm-oil firms in a region with no monitoring system. Burning peat forests can have a very damaging effect, up to 200 times more than burning any other vegetation.

More precise data and more analysis of data is required to better understand how countries can effectively control crop burning in Asia.

Sources:

Environment Health Perspectives – Fallout from European Fires: An Estimate of Premature Deaths Attributable to Vegetation Smoke
DownToEarth – Crop Burning: Punjab and Haryana’s killer fields
NASA – NASA Sees India’s Punjab State’s Agricultural Fires
National Bureau of Economic Research – Agricultural Fires and Infant Health
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Fire management
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Guidelines for the Implementation of the ASEAN Policy on Zero Burning
BBC – South East Asia haze: What is slash-and-burn?
The Economist – Despite tough talk, Indonesia’s government is struggling to stem deforestation

Children and Air Quality in Asia

by Maria Restrepoin More news

In October 2016, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) published the report “Clear the Air for Children” exposing the magnitude of the danger that air pollution poses for children.

The report shows that, in Asia alone, 300 million children live in areas with toxic levels of outdoor air pollution six times greater than the WHO set standard of 10m/m3 with 1.22 billion children in Asia living in areas that simply exceed WHO standards. Even more alarming, is that these estimates only account for exposure to outdoor air and do not include indoor air pollution. Moreover, UNICEF estimates that every year 600,000 children under-five years old die from diseases caused or aggravated by air pollution and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says these estimates could be 50% higher by 2050.

The reason children have a higher exposure when compared to adults is because they breathe twice as fast and their air intake volume is more relative to their body weight. They are vulnerable and exposed to air pollution before they are even born by changes in the placental function.  Air pollution can harm their bodies by affecting their developing organs, particularly their respiratory system and their brain. It has also been shown that air pollution can cause cognitive and physical development delays.  These negative effects are carried over into their adulthood. Studies have shown that children living in highly polluted areas can have reduced lung capacity by up to 20% and are more likely to have respiratory problems either in childhood or later in life.

In Asia, the situation is bleak. Emissions from factories and vehicles are high and with poor regulation, waste is often burnt, energy is mostly coal-fueled and many households burn biomass for cooking. All combined, the outdoor and indoor air quality tends to be among the worst across the world.

UNICEF comes to four conclusions to protect children from air pollution:
  1. Increase efforts to reduce air pollution and therefore reduce disease caused by air pollution as well as reduce the threat to children’s health and development. This includes better management of energy generation, waste management, public transportation, technology on vehicle and factory emissions and naturally more information and knowledge.
  2. Minimize children’s exposure at home, in schools and in those areas where they spend most time.
  3. Improve children’s overall health to reduce health complications from exposure to air pollution.
  4. Improve monitoring of air pollution and its link with children’s health.
What can individuals and families do?
  • Ensure good ventilation;
  • Clean cook stoves;
  • Prevent exposure to tobacco smoke;
  • Increase knowledge on how to protect themselves; and,
  • Better monitor air pollution to better understand time and characteristics of risk.
More air quality monitoring, and more knowledge on air pollution is essential to protect our children!

Source:

NIH – In Utero Fine Particle Air Pollution and Placental Expression of Genes in the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Signaling Pathway: An ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort Study.

Checking air quality where it really matters!

by Maria Restrepoin More news

We, at meo, are constantly checking air quality in different places. This article will take us to Hong-Kong, Hollywood road the heart of the bustling city, end of November 2017.

We installed one of our  units in Guardian Fitness, a private fitness club, in October 2017. Data were particularly interesting on Wednesday 22nd November 2017, a polluted day, with outdoor PM2.5 at ‘Unhealthy for sensitive groups’ level. Guardian Fitness could be seen as one of the “Safe Heaven” offered to Hong-Kongers, with both PM2.5 and VOC kept in the “Green” zone.

PM2.5 refers to the small particles that we inhale when we breathe. They are tiny enough to go through your lungs, and enter your bloodstream triggering health reactions.

VOC refers to the gases exhaled by new furniture, new carpets, new mats, new paints … each time there is renovation ongoing, or when standard cleaning products are used, as they contain a lot of unhealthy chemicals.

http://guardianfitness.hk/

Now, you know that you have 2 good reasons to join the lessons at Guardian Fitness:
Fitness and clean air!