Outdoor exercise is associated with greater lung exposure to air pollutants in most urban settings, but the long-term benefits of physically activity appeared to outweigh this risk in elderly patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or those at risk for developing the diseases, according to a new study.
The beneficial effects of physical activity and the adverse effects of long-term exposure to the traffic-related pollutant nitrogen-dioxide (NO2) on incident asthma and COPD hospitalizations were found to be independent of each other, with no reduction in the beneficial effects of exercise among those living in areas with high air pollution levels, in a study involving more than 50,000 elderly people living in two large urban areas in Denmark.
Read more at http://www.medpagetoday.com/clinical-context/copd/60465
