A large, long-term study published in BMC Medicine found that in the UK, physical activity was beneficial for preventing several long-term health conditions — even in areas with higher air pollution.
In short:
- The study analyzed a number of health outcomes, including mortality, cancer, cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Physical activity lowered the risk of all of these health outcomes, while air pollution increased the risk of all except cancer.
- The researchers found no evidence that the benefits of physical activity decreased in areas of higher air pollution.
Key quote: “This study showed that, in the UK, physical activity levels were consistently associated with lower risk of long-term conditions and mortality, even in areas with higher air pollution levels.”
Why this matters: Many people wonder if they should still exercise when air pollution levels are high. This study, as well as other studies from Denmark, find that exercise is still beneficial at the relatively low air pollution levels found in those countries. However, the authors cite other studies that found the opposite: that exercise in areas of higher air pollution does not provide health benefits, and in some instances can even increase the risk of certain conditions, such as asthma.
It is also worth noting that the levels of air pollution measured in this study are much lower than those found during times of air quality alerts in the U.S. due to wildfire smoke, so more research is needed to determine if exercise during wildfire events is a good idea. In addition, a person’s individual health status can affect susceptibility to air pollution, so these findings are not applicable to everyone.
Related EHN coverage:
- Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study
- LISTEN: Carlos Gould on wildfire smoke and our health
More resources:
American Lung Association: Four Things to Know about Air Quality and Exercising Outdoors
EPA: Should You Exercise Outside in Air Pollution?
