It’s time to put the spotlight on air pollution and obesity

3rd October

Last July, the information that air pollution is causing dementia made the front page of the Daily Mail and received strong media coverage. The headlines were sparked by a review of almost 70 scientific studies carried out by British researchers. 

The report of the Committee on The Medical Effects of Air Pollutants , chaired by Professor Kelly from Imperial College London, concluded that it was “likely that air pollution can contribute to a decline in mental ability and dementia in older people”. 

Clean air campaigners like ourselves at Mums for Lungs welcomed the media attention triggered by the report. It was not news to us, though. Because we scrutinise air pollution studies closely we know that the impact of car traffic fumes, wood burning and waste incineration is wide-ranging, highly damaging and life-shortening.

Studies confirm links between air pollution and obesity

Something that we are becoming more aware of at Mums for Lungs is the link between air pollution and obesity. It has not made front page news yet but has been highlighted by several studies published across the world over the last few years. 

A study carried out in California between 2014 and 2018 on 158 young adults concluded that high levels of long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - which results from fuel burning - was linked to higher levels of cholesterol. You can read the scientific article published by Environment International in 2019 here. 

Last year, a systematic review of existing research on the impact of air pollution on obesity in children also found that toxic fumes contributed to excess weight and body fat in many ways. Poor sleep, increased depression and anxiety but also elevated blood glucose and higher inflammatory responses were some of the issues identified by the studies analysed that all contributed to ‘a greater prevalence of overweight or obesity in children’. 

Last but not least, in September 2021, a study carried out in India on over 3000 children who attended 12 different private schools in Delhi and in southern Indian cities of Kottayam and Mysuru established a link between higher levels of obesity among pupils in Delhi and higher levels of particulate matter (PM), the toxic dust produced by cars as well as wood burning. 

Although no clear mechanism has been elucidated, the scientific article published by Lung India about the study mentioned above highlights that previous research has established that car fumes are hormone disruptors that affect our ability to control our appetite. In other words, childhood exposure to air pollutants “increase(s) consumption of transfat and fast foods by adolescents”. 

We need clean air as soon as possible

So, if our teenagers crave crisps, chips and doughnuts, it’s not all down to the marketing messages they are assaulted with every day or the high number of fast food outlets on our high streets. It’s also the result of the polluted air that they have been breathing since they were born. 

That was quite a revelation for us - and probably for you, too. 

Maybe we should rename our group ‘Mums for healthy tums and lungs’? More fundamentally, the growing research on air pollution and obesity gives us another compelling reason to clean up the air as soon as possible. 

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