Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Air pollution increases suicide risk by 500%

By Chukwuma Muanya, Assistant Editor
17 April 2018   |   2:45 am
Exposure to air pollution increases people's risk of Alzheimer's disease and suicide, new research suggests.Lifelong exposure to fine-air particles raises people's levels of the 'Alzheimer's protein' APOE4, which is associated with rapid-onset dementia...

AIR POLLUTION… PHOTO CREDIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution

Exposure to air pollution increases people’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease and suicide, new research suggests.Lifelong exposure to fine-air particles raises people’s levels of the ‘Alzheimer’s protein’ APOE4, which is associated with rapid-onset dementia, as well as making people up to 4.92 times more likely to take their own lives, a study found.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that can include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language.

The researchers believe fine-air particles enter people’s brains when they breathe before travelling elsewhere in their bodies via their bloodstreams. Past research suggests such particles, which weigh less than 0.0025mg and are given out in vehicle-exhaust fumes, cause inflammation.

Inflammation has previously been linked to both Alzheimer’s and mental-health problems.The study was carried out in Mexico City, which is home to 24 million people who are exposed to fine-air particle concentrations above United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency standards every day.

The researchers analysed 203 autopsies of people who died at between 11 months and 40 years old.It is unclear what caused their deaths. The researchers assessed the autopsies’ levels of proteins that are associated with Alzheimer’s.The findings were published in the journal of Environmental Research.

This comes after research released last month suggested beetroots could help in the fight against Alzheimer’s.Betanin, which is a compound that gives the vegetable its distinctive red colour, may slow the accumulation of protein plaque tangles, which are associated with the condition, in the brain.

Study author Dr Li-June Ming, from the University of South Florida, said: “Our data suggest that betanin, a compound in beet extract, shows some promise as an inhibitor of certain chemical reactions in the brain that are involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is just a first step, but we hope that our findings will encourage other scientists to look for structures similar to betanin that could be used to synthesise drugs that could make life a bit easier for those who suffer from this disease.”

0 Comments