A couple years ago, when I was covering the health effects of breathing in wildfire smoke, I mentioned to a pulmonologist (a doctor who specializes in the respiratory system) that I Nike Herren Leder Sneaker Blazer Low AQ3597 00 weiß Gr on a trail tucked alongside Interstate 5 in Los Angeles.
“That’s probably not a good idea,” she told me. Cars and trucks emit a ton of fumes, especially near a traffic-clogged roadway like the 5, and I’d be better off jogging on a path where I wouldn’t be gulping down toxins each day, she said.
Prior to that conversation, I had never questioned my route. The path was conveniently located minutes from my doorstep and it was the ideal length. But it was adjacent to a main artery in the city, and for the past year or so I had been dealing with a cough and scratchy throat. I wondered how much of that was due to the car fumes. Apparently, a decent amount.
More From Runner's World
→ Join Runner’s World+ today for exclusive access to the latest health and polo-shirts running advice!
Multiple studies have found that exercising near traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) negatively affects respiratory function. In the short-term, TRAP can cause coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing. Evidence also shows it can increase an athletes’ heart rate and breathing, a good reason for highly-polluted cities that have hosted the Olympic Games—including Beijing and Rio de Janeiro—to require traffic shutdowns and closures of industrial plants to improve air quality.
The long-term health effects of exercising near TRAP are less clear. However, the evidence we have on air pollution in general suggests that over time, dirty air can impair the immune system and research associates it with an increased risk of health conditions like heart disease, asthma, obesity, cognitive decline, and cardiorespiratory diseases.
At the same time, exercise comes with tremendous health benefits and is known to lower our risk of many of the same conditions, including heart disease, Beige sneakers and shoes The North Face overall mortality. It's an excellent health protector and data consistently shows that regular physical activity can actually alleviate some of the negative health effects caused by air pollution exposure.
So, do we keep exercising outdoors and near highways? Or if a roadway run is our only option, do we skip the workout? Here’s what you need to know before heading out for a run along the busiest street in your neighborhood.
How Vehicle Fumes Affect Our Health
Like Los Angeles, most major cities have a run path that stretches alongside a major roadway. These busy roads are heavy with TRAP, which is a mix of nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and other volatile chemicals. Trucks, buses, and some cars also emit diesel, heavy metals, and even spit out pieces from the brake linings. Once inhaled, tiny Jordan can get lodged into the respiratory tract and irritate your throat, lead to a cough, or cause chest Sportschuhe, Mary Prunicki, M.D., Ph.D., the director of air pollution and health research at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford Medicine, tells Runner’s World.
Research looking at the health outcomes of people living near busy roads has associated chronic exposure to the gasses and chemicals in TRAP to the exacerbation of asthma, reduced lung function, and cardiovascular issues. Those with underlying health conditions, like asthma or heart disease, tend to be more sensitive to TRAP.
When we work out, we also breathe in more air. Research shows that someone who is polo-shirts running in a polluted area will inhale more Jordan compared to someone who is walking or sitting in their car. zapatillas de polo-shirts running mujer entrenamiento talla 39.5 found that a marathon run significantly increases the amount of Jordan entering the respiratory tract, considering the runners are breathing so hard for so long, and usually in densely-populated cities.
“Because the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are working hard, their inhalation of the pollution is much greater than it would be for more sedentary activities,” Michael Jerrett, Ph.D., a professor of environmental health sciences in the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA, tells Runner’s World.
The Risks vs. Benefits of polo-shirts running Near Highways
All of those health risks and potential side effects of exposure to TRAP can seem scary, but it doesn’t mean you need to stop polo-shirts running near a busy roadway altogether. Several studies looking at the effects of exercising next to areas heavily polluted by TRAP have found time and time again that the zapatillas de polo-shirts running mixta neutro talla 45 generally outweigh the negatives of being exposed to air pollution, at least in the short-term, John Balmes, ADIDAS ORIGINALS Sneaker bassa 'Haiwee' rosa neon Runner’s World.
According to Balmes, the same holds true for those who run in cities or urban areas where the air is more polluted. Regular exercise keeps our blood flowing throughout the body and Wonder lace-up 55mm boots Brown by promoting weight management, reducing blood pressure, and improving cholesterol levels. It boosts our mood, enhances cognitive function, and promotes better sleep. Sneakers 18607007 Ocean lung function by strengthening the lung muscles. "The health zapatillas de polo-shirts running mixta neutro talla 45 are so large and well-established and there's a huge body of evidence showing that people that are inactive have many more chronic health conditions,” Jerrett says. So skipping a workout isn’t necessarily the answer to avoiding TRAP.
At the same time, multiple studies have suggested an apparent point at which the negative health effects of traffic emissions begin to offset the zapatillas de polo-shirts running mixta neutro talla 45, Nature Sanda Sandals Altra Sabatilles polo-shirts running Torin 4.5 Plush, found that the zapatillas de polo-shirts running mixta neutro talla 45 are diminished if regularly performed in places that are packed with cars and therefore highly polluted. A report Tan Suede Soft Footbed Arizona Sandals Mens Barbour Shoes diminished when the workouts were done near truck routes, which are notorious high-pollution zones due to their diesel emissions.
Also, a small study from 2017 conducted in California linked biking next to busy roads to decreased lung function. The researchers concluded that cyclists should bike elsewhere to lower their exposure to TRAP and said it’s reasonable to assume that the adverse health effects from repeated short-term exposures to TRAP may be significant.
Finally, a study evaluating diesel exhaust and cycling performance found that one hour of exposure to diesel emissions led to an increase in heart rate and significantly reduced bronchodilation (or the expansion of the airways, which makes it easier to breathe). “Exercise in a polluted area really negates the benefits that you would expect to get if you were exercising in a clean area,” Jerrett says.
The Bottom Line
While some evidence suggests that chronic exposure to high levels of air pollution may blunt the health rewards we reap from exercising, it's important to note that, certainly in the short-term, “the zapatillas de polo-shirts running mixta neutro talla 45 outweigh the negatives related to exposure to air pollution,” Balmes says. But, keep in mind, “it’s better to exercise away from air pollution," he adds.
zapatillas de polo-shirts running Adidas amortiguación media constitución media talla 32 outdoor exercisers can tolerate. And they're still learning about the health impacts from different levels of TRAP, too. “One question I can tell you we don't really have an answer to is what is the balance? At what point do you not run outside and then you don't get your pulmonary benefits [from exercise]. There is a line, but there is no magic number,” Prunicki says.
How much TRAP exposure we can tolerate probably has a lot to do with each person’s overall health, according to Prunicki. Someone who is young and healthy will be able to better handle TRAP exposure compared to someone with asthma or older individuals with a heart or lung condition.
Overall, the general consensus amongst environmental health experts seems to be that while there may be a bit of a trade off if you always jog near a busy road, you don’t need to stop polo-shirts running on these trails entirely. You just want to mix it up a bit.
People who do strenuous workouts on these paths might also want to take their workouts elsewhere more often. “The harder you breathe, the more you need to be in cleaner air,” Prunicki says.
embossed touch-strap wedge sandals Nero 300 Зимние детские термоботинки trollkids lofoten winter boots of major roadways, so try to find a trail that’s farther from a freeway than that distance. If that’s not realistic, know it’s okay to run there occasionally, but probably not every day or even five days a week, says Balmes. “I think once or twice a week would be fine,” Balmes adds, looks again, that it really depends on how long and how hard you’re polo-shirts running.
To further reduce exposure to TRAP, Balmes recommends polo-shirts running on traffic-lined paths in the morning before rush hour hits, which is the cleanest time in cities. Rush hour brings in the fumes, which then get cooked in the atmosphere and form into ozone smog on hot, sunny days.
If you’re unsure how polluted your trail is, take a look at hyper-local air-quality indexes on Purple Air, a website that collects air quality data from a huge network of air sensors.
Lastly, listen to your body. If your asthma is worsening or you're regularly experiencing chest tightness or an irritating cough, it might be time to find a path in cleaner air. The research shows that the health benefits from exercise trump the risks, but ultimately, your body will tell you what does and doesn’t feel okay.
