Environmental Risks and Dementia: Part Two

Last week, in Part One, I pointed out the influence of metals, namely lead and aluminum, on being one of the suspected causes of dementia.  Someone asked me, the other day, “Just when do you suspect we breathe in or ingest lead?”  Well, that leads me to the topic of today:  Air Pollution.  

There is an interesting article in Mother Jones, in which the story (a brief one, should you care to read it) points out that in certain situations there are millions of particles in the air that you breathe in - particulates of different compounds (such as diesel, lead, plastics, chemicals, ash, etc) which can enter the bloodstream through your lungs (The Terrifying Truth About Air Pollution and Dementia).    As these enter your lungs, they not only might enter the bloodstream and then, possibly, cross the blood-brain barrier but can also impede blood flow to the brain.

According to an article from The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (Air Pollution May Raise Dementia Risk) the risks associated with pollution can not only create more dysfunction in the brain but also in the heart and other cardiovascular issues.  

 In April of 2015, Newsmax published an article which, too, articulated the findings that long-term exposure to pollution can be attributed to one to two years of brain aging, and, with the other articles mentioned in this post, attribute the effects to mini-strokes which may not even be noticed among older persons, primarily.  

To the fact, as well, that studies of late have also uncovered that children exposed to a great deal of pollution are susceptible to learning difficulties, as well, so this isn’t just an older person's malaise (Smog in our brains).  And we know that most children seem to be able to overcome these issues - or are they just staving off the effects until they are older?   What was discovered in the article published by the American Psychological Association was that mice, exposed 8 hours a day 5 days a week (much as a suburbanite working in a smoggy city) began demonstrating slower abilities to problem solve - in fact, they were found to have few connections in their brains and their brains were beginning to demonstrate signs of shrinkage and decline.

What determines a smoggy city compared with one with cleaner air?  According to Time Magazine, these are the 10 worst cities in 2015:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

2. Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, CA

3. Bakersfield, CA

4. Fresno-Madera, CA

5. Sacramento-Roseville, CA

6. Houston-The Woodlands, TX

7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK

8. Modesto-Merced, CA

9. Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ

10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

And, according to further studies, simply living along a well-traveled road in the country could also be causal to suffer the effects.  Is it no wonder that being out in nature, at the beach, or somewhere away from civilization makes us feel so free and hale?

So, in a nutshell, the exposure so many of us are prone to experience, means that, perhaps, we will begin a mental decline at some  point - earlier than what we may have actually been determined to have at birth.   Solution?  Retire to a small island away from industry - lots of breezes and fresh air!

See Also Environmental Risk Factors for Dementia Part One
               Environmental Risk Factors for Dementia Part Three