Exposure to pollution could steal our youth years and age us faster, according to a new study
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousExposure to pollution (in all its forms) and our lifestyle could steal our youthful years and age us faster, according to a new study.
Every day we are bombarded with ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoke, chemicals and many other pollutants that could cause more damage than previously estimated: in fact, environmental pollution factors can lead our body to produce free radicals, highly reactive chemical molecules. that damage tissues or DNA. This is what emerges from a new study of West virginia university, according to which the damage caused by these free radicals to the DNA can cause premature aging.
Free radicals develop in the human body in two ways: by oxidative phosphorylation (a process that occurs after digestion, when food is 'oxidized' in our cells to produce energy) and by introducing pollutants into our body. Harmful chemicals, such as cigarette smoke, can lead to the formation of free radicals in the body through the interactions they have with the tissues and molecules present in our body; Exposure to radioactive treatments (such as those to treat cancer) has also been observed to play an important role in the release of free radicals.
(Read: Natural Antioxidants: 10 Foods Against Free Radicals and Aging)
A cigarette leads to the formation of 10-16 free radicals per puff of smoke due to the combustion of the materials it is made of - he explains Eric Kelly, author of the study. - Our body has 'defense' mechanisms at its disposal that eliminate free radicals, but if these mechanisms are overwhelmed by an excess of these (due to excessive food, bad eating habits, cigarette smoking) they stop working and then our DNA begins to be attacked.
Furthermore, as we age, these mechanisms become less and less effective and our body ends up consuming itself. So it's a bit like a snake biting itself at the thing: the more we are exposed to pollutants and accumulate free radicals in our body, the older we get, becoming further vulnerable to radical attack.
The focus is not so much on life expectancy, but on the quality of this and on the preservation of our health: if you start from youth to take care of your body with a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle, our life future will be of better quality - with important repercussions also on the economy. In fact, even if we have medical options to counteract the action of free radicals, it is always better to prevent their accumulation within our body through sensible wellness choices.
Source: Nature
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