Taiwanese scientists have found a link between air pollution and dementia risk in elderly people, a Yang Ming Chiao Tung University research team told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Study coauthor Chuang Yi-fang (莊宜芳), associate professor of public health, said that the medical community has long understood that air pollution can be a significant risk factor in cognitive health.
However, the mechanism by which pollution affects the mind had remained largely unknown until the research team clarified the connection between air quality and improvements to focus and brain structure in elderly people, he said.
Photo courtesy of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
The study tracked the magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive test records of 412 people over the age of 60 residing in urban and rural areas with varying air quality to measure the effects of pollution, he said.
Spatial modeling was used to gauge the concentration of pollutants, including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in the subjects’ environment, he said.
The research established a strong correlation between good air and better structural integrity of white brain matter and improved scores in cognitive tests measuring mental focus, he said.
Genetics, healthy habits and environmental factors govern brain aging, but only the first of the trio is an immutable trait, he said, adding that reducing air pollution would likely result in better brain health in older people.
The study significantly contributes to the field by shedding light on air pollution’s effects on brain health in Asians instead of cardiovascular health in Caucasians, said Pan Wen-chi (潘文驥), coauthor and professor of environmental and occupational health at the university.
The study was published in August last year in the journal Environment International.
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