Heart Health

Recently I read a scientific study conducted by a multi-campus team from UCLA, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine, and Michigan State University, which found that nanoparticle air pollutants — microscopic airborne particles — which are found in the highest concentration within urban areas, are considered the most toxic of airborne particles. In fact, it is considered as large a contributor to arterial plaque as second hand smoke! As Dr. Jesus Araujo, assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, states, "It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic. This is the first study that demonstrates the ability of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model." That hit me pretty hard, especially since I live in an urban area and I'm currently training to run a 5k. I might as well run on a treadmill and puff on a cigarette!

Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but staying healthy is a major concern, and the last thing I want to do is be helpless when it comes to developing arterial plaque. So obviously diet and exercise aren't enough. Being able to breathe clean, healthy air is also a huge contributor to healthy living and staving off heart disease. So in addition to my regular training and healthy diet, I make sure that within the areas I work and live, I maintain clean, healthy, breathable indoor air by using HEPA air purifiers. HEPA air purifiers are designed to remove toxic air pollutants from indoor air, and with the addition of UV lights within more advanced models, viruses and bacteria are also removed.

So bottom line; I may not be able to control the air outside my home or workplace, but I can control the air I breathe indoors, and I choose to breathe clean and healthy.