Women Can Become Fat Over Long-Term Exposure To Air Pollution

New Delhi: While the world is obsessed with weight, a new study claims that long-term air pollution may be the cause of women gaining weight in midlife. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan in the US found that exposure to air pollution increases body fat in mid-life women.Also Read – Short- and medium-term cardiovascular disease prognosis is better in obese people: a study

Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased body fat, higher fat mass, and lower lean mass in middle-life women, the study reported. For example, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care increased body fat by 4.5 percent, or about 2.6 pounds.

“Women in their late 40s and early 50s exposed to long-term exposure to air pollution” specifically, high levels of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone “were found to have increased measures of body size and composition,” Xin Wang said. Epidemiology Research Research Investigator University’s School of Public Health.

How women can gain fat from long-term exposure to air pollution

Data for the study came from 1,654 white, black, Chinese and Japanese women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. These women, whose baseline average age was about 50 years, were tracked from 2000 to 2008.

Researchers explored the interaction between air pollution and physical activity on body composition. High levels of physical activity were an effective way to reduce and offset exposure to air pollution, research shows.

The study also states that the findings cannot be generalized to men or women across all age-groups. “Since the study focused on women in midlife, the findings cannot be generalized to men or women in other age ranges,” Wang said.