- In a new study, researchers report that people exposed to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution had more amyloid plaques in their brains.
- Amyloid plaques are a known biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Researchers said that the correlation between pollution exposure and plaques was actually strongest among those lacking a gene variant that raises Alzheimer’s risk.
Levels of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain — both key markers for Alzheimer’s disease — are elevated among people who are exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution.
That’s according a new study published in the journal Neurology.
“These results add to the evidence that fine particulate matter from traffic-related air pollution affects the amount of amyloid plaque in the brain,” said Anke Huels, PhD, a study author and assistant professor at Emory University in Atlanta, in a statement.
The findings also are part of a growing body of research showing the myriad ways that air pollution can have on health in general.
Huels and her colleagues, for example, have previously
“This study really shows again that air pollution can affect every single organ in the body,” Huels told Medical News Today. “Most people know that air pollution can affect respiratory health and your lungs but are not aware about the effects on the brain and Alzheimer’s. It’s kind of scary.”
In their new study, Huels and her colleagues examined brain tissue donated by 224 people who died at an average age of 76.
They correlated the prevalence of Alzheimer’s markers found in the participants’ brains with known air pollution exposure based on their home addresses in the Atlanta area.
Researchers reported that people who were exposed to the highest levels of fine-particulate air pollution — classified as pollutant particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter — were more likely to have higher…
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