Air pollution continues to be a dangerous public health problem. In fact, an estimated 9 out of 10 people throughout the world breathe highly polluted air.
A variety of factors contribute to poor air quality, including:
- motor vehicle emissions
- chemical and metal toxins in the environment
- emissions from industrial plants.
Health consequences of air pollution
Air pollution contributes to the onset of allergies, chronic diseases, and mortality. Furthermore, it creates a barrier that decreases the ability of UVB rays to reach the earth’s atmosphere. This reduces the body’s capacity to produce vitamin D naturally.
Vitamin D plays countless roles in the body, including supporting a healthy inflammatory and immune response. These are two key components in disease prevention.
Childhood vitamin D deficiency not only impairs bone health, but may contribute to developmental delays and short stature. Additionally, we lose the ability to improve bone mineral density (BMD) by the age of 30. That’s why it is so important to address modifiable risk factors for impaired bone health early on in life.
New research findings
In a recent study, researchers aimed to determine whether a relationship exists between air pollution, vitamin D deficiency and bone turnover among children. The study compared ambient air pollution and bone turnover to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among 325 middle school and high school aged students in regions of Tehran, Iran in areas of the city with and without pollution.
The researchers obtained data from different locations based on the air quality index (AQI). Government agencies use the AQI to alert the public on the severity of pollution. In addition, the participants had blood work taken in order to evaluate markers for bone health, including but not limited to calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25(OH)D status.
Study findings
- A total of 52.9% of students were vitamin D deficient, which was defined as levels < 20 ng/ml).
- On average, vitamin D levels were about 12 ng/ml lower in polluted areas compared to non-polluted areas (p = 0.0001).
- After adjusting for confounding variables, air pollution was associated with vitamin D deficiency (p < 0.01) and bone turnover (p < 0.04).
- Calcium intake of greater than 5,000 mg/week provided a protective effect on air quality related bone turnover
Source
Feizabad, E. et al. Impact of air pollution on vitamin D deficiency and bone health in adolescents. Arch Osteoporosis, 2017