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Heart health

BHF researchers to unravel effects of traffic pollution on heart health (press release)

Sunday, August 28, 2005
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)
Tags: heart health, environmental news, health news


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Researchers at the Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have been awarded BHF funds of nearly £1.2million to undertake a five year collaborative research programme investigating how diesel exhaust pollution causes sickness in blood vessels that can lead to heart and circulatory disease.

The results will help us understand what environmental measures must be taken to minimize harm to our heart health - and how we can protect those most at risk from pollution.

Research not bad news for cyclists
Currently there is no proven link between pollution and heart disease. But to better understand how it might cause problems, the BHF has funded Dr David Newby at the Univeristy of Edinburgh to look at this in detail.

The BHF stresses that the research is not bad news for cyclists in cities. For most cyclists, the benefits to their heart health from regular exercise far outweighs risk from pollution, which has yet to be directly proven.

Cycling is a great way to keep fit, and combined with a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables, can help keep your heart healthy.

We are a long way from proving a link between heart attacks and pollution but the results of the research will help us better understand which microscopic particles in exhaust fumes could cause problems. Armed with these results we will be in a better position to protect cyclists in the future.

More about the BHF's research
BHF researchers, led by Dr Newby, have found that exposure to diesel engine emissions affects the cells that line blood vessels ( 'endothelial cells' ).

This impairs vessel function in two ways: reducing 'vascular tone' - the control of contraction and relaxation of blood vessels - and reducing 'fibrolysis'- the ability to break down dangerous blood clots in the heart. These are effects similar to those caused by smoking cigarettes.

Now, the new research efforts will aim to solve some of the biological unknowns behind these harmful processes, as well as defining the components and levels of polluted air that are most dangerous, and the length of time after exposure that we are vulnerable to the ill effects.

The research programme will measure blood pressure, blood flow, and biological indicators of inflammation - a risk factor in heart and circulatory disease - after volunteers have been exposed to polluted or clean air.

Another part of the work will investigate in detail the effects of exposure to pollution in mice.

Researchers will closely examine the health of blood vessels and explore the biological processes that underpin the changes.

This will provide clues about how air pollution causes disease in humans so that we can work out exactly how to combat it.

Dr Newby, BHF Reader in cardiology at the University of Edinburgh and lead researcher of the programme, commented: "We have already shown that diesel exhaust impairs two important and complementary aspects of heart and circulation health, therefore contributing to the development of heart disease."

"Now, with further support from the BHF, we can investigate and define why, when and how our health is affected by air pollution. This will help to mold future pollution control strategies and help to protect those most at risk."

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director of British Heart Foundation, says: "There is some evidence around the world that people with heart disease should limit outdoor activities when pollution is high.

"This BHF research will help us to provide clear, evidence-based advice for UK heart patients and healthy people that have high risk of heart disease, as well as feeding into future environment policy.

In the meantime, visit our website at bhf.org.uk/hearthealth for advice on keeping your heart healthy."


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About the author:Mike Adams (aka the "Health Ranger") is a best selling author (#1 best selling science book on Amazon.com) and a globally recognized scientific researcher in clean foods. He serves as the founding editor of NaturalNews.com and the lab science director of an internationally accredited (ISO 17025) analytical laboratory known as CWC Labs. There, he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for achieving extremely high accuracy in the analysis of toxic elements in unknown water samples using ICP-MS instrumentation. Adams is also highly proficient in running liquid chromatography, ion chromatography and mass spectrometry time-of-flight analytical instrumentation.

Adams is a person of color whose ancestors include Africans and Native American Indians. He's also of Native American heritage, which he credits as inspiring his "Health Ranger" passion for protecting life and nature against the destruction caused by chemicals, heavy metals and other forms of pollution.

Adams is the founder and publisher of the open source science journal Natural Science Journal, the author of numerous peer-reviewed science papers published by the journal, and the author of the world's first book that published ICP-MS heavy metals analysis results for foods, dietary supplements, pet food, spices and fast food. The book is entitled Food Forensics and is published by BenBella Books.

In his laboratory research, Adams has made numerous food safety breakthroughs such as revealing rice protein products imported from Asia to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium and tungsten. Adams was the first food science researcher to document high levels of tungsten in superfoods. He also discovered over 11 ppm lead in imported mangosteen powder, and led an industry-wide voluntary agreement to limit heavy metals in rice protein products.

In addition to his lab work, Adams is also the (non-paid) executive director of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (CWC), an organization that redirects 100% of its donations receipts to grant programs that teach children and women how to grow their own food or vastly improve their nutrition. Through the non-profit CWC, Adams also launched Nutrition Rescue, a program that donates essential vitamins to people in need. Click here to see some of the CWC success stories.

With a background in science and software technology, Adams is the original founder of the email newsletter technology company known as Arial Software. Using his technical experience combined with his love for natural health, Adams developed and deployed the content management system currently driving NaturalNews.com. He also engineered the high-level statistical algorithms that power SCIENCE.naturalnews.com, a massive research resource featuring over 10 million scientific studies.

Adams is well known for his incredibly popular consumer activism video blowing the lid on fake blueberries used throughout the food supply. He has also exposed "strange fibers" found in Chicken McNuggets, fake academic credentials of so-called health "gurus," dangerous "detox" products imported as battery acid and sold for oral consumption, fake acai berry scams, the California raw milk raids, the vaccine research fraud revealed by industry whistleblowers and many other topics.

Adams has also helped defend the rights of home gardeners and protect the medical freedom rights of parents. Adams is widely recognized to have made a remarkable global impact on issues like GMOs, vaccines, nutrition therapies, human consciousness.

In addition to his activism, Adams is an accomplished musician who has released over a dozen popular songs covering a variety of activism topics.

Click here to read a more detailed bio on Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at HealthRanger.com.

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