Abstract
Inhaling polluted air, especially air containing fine particulate matter (i.e. PM2.5) constitutes an environmental risk that has proven impact on the quality and duration of human life. The objective of this article is to highlight human clinical investigations in which vitamins and marine-derived long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e. fish oil or docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids) were administrated to minimize certain detrimental responses to PM2.5 exposure. The results from both randomized and cohort studies in last decade demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure induced unfavorable physiological and biochemical responses (i.e. heart rate variability reduction and oxidative stress) in human body. Supplementation of fish oil, some B vitamins, vitamin E and C abrogated these responses. A large number of the world’s population are now exposed to air pollution daily, which will largely remain for many years. These studies hold promise for nutrition to play a role in ameliorating some detrimental responses to PM2.5. Future investigations are warranted to determine whether long-term administration of these nutrients improves PM2.5-related clinical endpoints e.g. cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes.
Highlights
IntroductionThe World Health Organization (WHO) published the Global Update of Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) in 2005, in which the WHO has seriously emphasized that “clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being” (WHO 2005)
Air pollution is one of the most important environmental issues in today’s world
The findings from recent scientific literature have shown that nutritional intervention is a promising preventative approach for PM2.5-induced pathophysiological and biochemical disorders
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) published the Global Update of Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) in 2005, in which the WHO has seriously emphasized that “clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being” (WHO 2005). Major contaminants in the atmosphere include particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which are mainly emitted when fossil fuels (especially coal and petroleum) and biomass are combusted. Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers is referred to as PM2.5. While the ambient PM2.5 concentration is reported hourly and daily in some countries, the use of an annual mean is preferred for evaluating its long-term impact on human health. According to the AQG, the recommended PM2.5 concentration, selected to minimize likely health effects based on existing literature, is an annual mean of
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Food and Nutritional Science
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
