S Figure 1: Is this what we’re likely to see in the future? ounds strange doesn’t it? It’s not the first thing you would expect to say before they leave the house, but it could become a reality. We all know that exercise is good for you, as Hippocrates once said, “Walking is [a] man’s best medicine”. But is that still valid, can the negative effects of air pollution outweigh the benefits of exercise? The answer to this will be explored during this article, but firstly lets marvel at the spectacle of exercise. It’s quite unique if you think of it: you feel great afterwards, guilty for avoiding it, but hate every minute while you’re doing it. I suppose it’s the perfect antidote to chocolate, as the reverse behaviour can be observed. The benefits of exercise are well known, it has shown to protect against memory loss, cancer, retinal degeneration, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, inhibit the initiation and growth of tumours, while improving brain f...
I t’s summertime again and that means two things: Game of Thrones is back and lots of rain with intermittent days of unbearable hay fever. It’s that time of year again when I become a part-time junkie reaching for my latest fix of Cetirizine to quell the persistent itch. Over the past five years or so, I’ve noticed a dramatic change in my tolerance to pollen. In my investigation into the source of this deterioration, I came across numerous articles outlining the health effects air pollution. I was shocked by the scale of the problem and this motivated me to write this article, so that I can raise awareness and outline the latest findings presented in literature. Firstly it is important to note that air pollution is an underrated killer. In 2015, it was responsible for 6.4 million deaths worldwide; contributing towards: 19% of all cardiovascular related deaths, 24% of all ischaemic heart disease deaths, 21% of all stroke deaths, an...