Vitamin B
could attenuate the effects of most dangerous type of air pollution and could be
used at personal level to protect against the ill effects. The study was recently
published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America.[1]
The
investigators looked at the effects caused by PM2.5, one of the most dangerous
type of pollution on volunteers in a cross over trial. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter
(PM) that have a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers, which is about 3% the
diameter of a human hair.
The fine PM
finds its way into blood stream through lungs and causes pulmonary and
placental inflammation, coagulopathies, endothelial dysfunction and
hematological responses and eventually lead to heart attack and stroke.
Studies have
also shown adverse effects on mother and neonates due to Pollution. Outdoor air
pollution has been identified as a possible risk factor for preterm births
across the globe according to a study published in Journal of Environment
International online February 10, 2017. Air pollution identified as a possible
risk factor for nearly 3 million preterm births every year.
Scientist
also suspect that exposure to PM2.5 can cause "epigenetic" changes to
our cells leading to mutations that can damage our health.
WHO recently
estimated that 92% of the world's population lives is exposed to dangerous
levels of pollution exceeding the recommended threshold.[2]
 |
| WHO map depicting global air pollution |
In this
cross over study, 10 volunteers were exposed to clean air and given placebo as supplements
to know the baseline levels. Than the same 10 persons were exposed to polluted air
and given placebo for 4 weeks. Lastly the individuals received polluted air but
this time with Vitamin B supplementation (2.5 mg/d folic acid, 50 mg/d vitamin
B6, and 1 mg/d vitamin B12), respectively.
The researchers
looked at epigenome-wide methylation before and after each exposure. PM2.5
induced methylation changes in genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative energy
metabolism.
PM2.5
depleted 11.1% of the mitochondrial DNA content and B-vitamin supplementation
attenuated the PM2.5 effect by 102% (P= 0.01).
Andrea A. Baccarellia, Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University, New York "Future studies, especially
in heavily polluted areas, are urgently needed to validate our findings and
ultimately develop preventive interventions using B vitamins to contain the
health effects of air pollution," said Baccarelli.
"While emission control and regulation is the backbone of
prevention, high exposures are, unfortunately, the rule still in many megacities
throughout the world," she further added.
Although this study has small sample size, it helps fill the
critical knowledge gap regarding ways of personal protection at individual
level. People around the globe use all kind of masks, scarf but nothing was
known about taking supplementation to mitigate the effects at cellular level.
We as individuals do not
have the choice to determine the type of air we breathe in; government regulation
implementation will go a long way in protecting the society members and society
against the effects of Global Warming.
