Yes, you read that right. Air pollution, which is a growing issue in India can lead to severe bone loss in postmenopausal women. In a recent study headed by scientists at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, scientists explained that poor air quality that up a woman's risk of suffering severe bone loss with Osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a severe bone health condition in which the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. This results in making the bones weak, followed by bone breakage. In rare or severe cases, the bones can break from sneezing or minor bumps as well. In simpler words, Osteoporosis means “porous bone.”
Air pollution has been linked to some severe health conditions previously, including cancer and heart issues. But this study has highlighted a n='not very' talked about topic of how bad air can wreak havoc on the bones and the joints. According to the study authors, the severe consequences of air pollution were mostly seen in the lumbar spine, where nitrous oxides were comparatively seen as more destructive than normal ageing. The new study is the first to explore the connection between air pollution and bone mineral density specifically in postmenopausal women.
Speaking to the media, the study authors stated that their findings confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss, independent of socioeconomic or demographic factors. "For the first time, we have evidence that nitrogen oxides, in particular, are a major contributor to bone damage and that the lumbar spine is one of the most susceptible sites of this damage," study first author Diddier Prada, MD, PhD, an associate research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, quoted as saying.
Explaining the most common contributing factors, the study authors said that cars and truck exhaust are two major sources of nitrous oxides. "Improving the air quality is the only way out. This primarily includes the reduction of the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air we are breathing. Only these steps can reduce bone damage in postmenopausal women, and prevent bone fractures in women."
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