Emissions released by motor vehicles also trigger a hardening of the arteries

May 16, 2013 12:05 GMT  ·  By

A person's breathing in emissions released by motor vehicles translates into their good cholesterol going bad, argues a research whose findings are made available to the public in the online edition of the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

The study also says that, all things considered, such emissions need also be linked to a hardening of the walls that make up a person's arteries, simply because they cause inflammation of the tissues.

According to the specialists who pieced together this study, emissions coming from vehicles are by far one of the major sources of air pollution in urban areas.

Once a person's body becomes exposed to this source of pollution, their high-density lipoprotein (HDL, for short) cholesterol quits having protective qualities in terms of keeping that individual's cardiovascular system safe and sound.

Furthermore, once it turns “bad,” said cholesterol ups the person's risk of developing clogged arteries, Newswise informs us.

By the looks of it, the researchers gathered information in support of the theory that traffic air pollution impacts on HDL cholesterol by carrying out several experiments on mice.

Thus, the animals were made to breath in such emissions for a period of two weeks.

The researchers later examined their overall wellbeing and found that both their blood and their liver displayed clear signs of oxidative damage.

Although the animals were then made to only breathe in filtered air for up to a week, it appears that the damage caused by the emissions during the first stages of the experimentation proved irreversible.

“This is the first study showing that air pollutants promote the development of dysfunctional, pro-oxidative HDL cholesterol and the activation of an internal oxidation pathway, which may be one of the mechanisms in how air pollution can exacerbate clogged arteries that lead to heart disease and stroke,” researcher Dr. Jesus Araujo summed up the findings of this investigation.

“We suggest that people try to limit their exposure to air pollutants, as they may induce damage that starts during the exposure and continues long after it ends,” specialist Fen Yin recommended.