A study by the University of Edinburgh and Umea University has warned heart patients to avoid heavy traffic when exercising or simply workout indoors to avoid breathing polluted air.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that inhalation of diesel exhaust caused changes in the heart's electrical activity. Air pollution also reduces the amount of oxygen available to the heart during exercise making it rather risky for them.
The lack of oxygen flow to the heart results in exercise-induced ischemia even if the patient is exposed to a small amount diluted diesel exhaust during exercise reduced. It results in reduction of a key anti clotting substance in the blood and the changes can trigger a heart attack and even death.
According to the American Heart Association, about 16 million Americans have heart disease but a large number of American population also suffer from asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The researchers also caution people with respiratory illness to avoid polluted air when exercising but tell them to keep exercising regularly because it is so beneficial to overall health.
Doctors already know that long-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. The current study adds to that knowledge about how air pollution harms people and what should be done to avoid it.
A recent report from the federal Women's Health Initiative has also found exercise in polluted environments causes a temporary reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle.
