Is running outdoors in smog good for your he alth? Or maybe in autumn and winter it is better to use the gym? What diseases are we exposed to when we are in the air in high concentrations of smog? These questions are answered by dr hab. n. med. Marek Postuła - cardiologist with enel-sport.
Is cycling, jogging and other outdoor activities he althy during smog? Rising air pollution rates mean that more and more people are asking this question.
Theoretically, sport is he alth - because it improves blood circulation and oxygenates the body. But what if we inhale smog instead of clean air? Or maybe the benefits of being active outweigh the possible harms associated with our absorption of harmful compounds?
See what the doctor advises in such a situation - dr hab. Marek Postuła, MD, PhD, cardiologist with enel-sport.
Is it possible to protect yourself in some way from the harmful effects of smog by practicing outdoor sports during the heating season?
One hundred percent - no. Of course, we have various types of masks on the market, but it is worth choosing only certified ones with an appropriate filter that catches harmful microparticles. Of course, a typical dust mask that is used when renovating an apartment is complete nonsense. It does not protect against anything, it does not help, and also makes breathing difficult. There are specialized masks, but they cost a lot and their filter needs to be replaced regularly.
In a smog situation, it is better to run outside or give up such activity in favor of going to the gym?
I personally recommend to my patients to limit outdoor exercise in such situations. I don't run outside in winter, I avoid this type of activity. There are questions from patients in the fall and winter, whether, for example, running in the forest is not less harmful than running in the city, but when we look at the smog map of Europe available on the Internet, Poland is a big red point on it. Logic dictates that the situation in cities is much worse, but when we go to the countryside in winter and look at the smoke rising from the chimneys, you can see that it is not better there. I myself have a plot outside the city and I do not use it during the heating season, because the air quality there is much worse than in Warsaw.In autumn and winter, only the gym and, additionally, well-air-conditioned - one with no windows to cool the room.
See also: First gym training - what exercises to start with?
What if someone is already very stubborn and chooses to exercise outdoors? Are there any recommendations he should be aware of - in addition to using a mask?
You have to make sure that this effort is as short as possible. After recent studies, it can be said that we are more aware of the harmfulness of smog and its impact on he alth. There has also been an increase in the number of publications which show that in people over 60 years of age, two-hour outdoor activity during the heating period reduces the he alth benefits of this activity. It is better to stay at home than to stay outside - especially for people over 60 years of age, who are known to be more susceptible to the effects of poor air quality.
Does this mean that walks are also not recommended in winter?
In fact, you should definitely avoid being outside, and if you do, walks should be as short as possible.
What are the negative he alth effects of smog?
You can exchange them for hours. Everyone thinks that the respiratory system is primarily at risk due to the fact that it is easy to imagine how smog reaches the respiratory tract with the inhaled air. However, it should be remembered that we are talking about microparticles that also penetrate the circulatory system. Smog also adversely affects pregnant women and the development of the fetus. We have evidence that shows that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight in a baby.
Cardiologists say that smog carries the same risk of heart disease as smoking, and it is the fifth most common cause of death - and this is truly alarming. What should happen in Poland is an absolute ban on smoking with harmful materials and controls during the heating season, because now furnaces often end up with things that kill us.
In our country, the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution is around 45 thousand. annually, while about 3.5 thousand people die in car accidents. people. That's almost ten times more people!
There is also a whole spectrum of diseases of the cardiovascular system, which is difficult to explain with anything else, such as the influence of smog. We also know that microparticles in the air accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, accelerate inflammatory processes and, as a result,lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. These are indisputable figures and it is difficult to question them. We observe that in autumn and winter the number of deaths increases, the number of heart attacks, hospitalizations for heart failure and strokes increases. It is also worth mentioning that the more distant effect of smog is cognitive impairment - it is believed that Alzheimer's disease may also be related to air pollution.
Are there any outdoor areas that are safe during this heating season?
Oxygen tent - this is how we can answer this question in a funny way. Unfortunately, there is no safe place. It is not worth looking at others, you must be aware that people who practice sports regularly, i.e. runners or cyclists training every day, are more likely to suffer from upper respiratory tract infections. More and more people impose a heavy training load on themselves, because they want to achieve more and more, but often approaching it in an unprofessional way from a medical point of view. Infections appear, and when looking for advice on how to get rid of them on the Internet, they get advice to train even more. This is complete stupidity and in my work I have contact with many patients who struggle with the consequences of such irresponsible behavior.
Check also: Is it possible to exercise with a cold?
In recent years, have you noticed more patients with diseases and conditions caused by smog?
It is difficult to state it unequivocally, but the statistical data show that in the winter, elderly people who already have some cardiological problems are more likely to be hospitalized because of the exacerbation of these ailments. There are more and more indications that air pollution is related to it.
Has the social awareness of the harmfulness of smog increased?
Of course, the level of awareness and concern for your he alth is constantly increasing. In the past, patients with arterial hypertension began to use the help of doctors at the age of 50 or even later, but now patients around 30 years of age who are treated for this come to me - they come to me because they are more aware. It is similar with smog - it is not that it has been appearing for two years. We have been talking about it in the media since then, but smog is a problem that has existed for several decades, because civilization is heading in such a direction that it will poison us.
Source: enel-sport press materials