Is Air Pollution Causing Women to Gain Weight?

Have you noticed that people outside the city are usually thinner than those living there? A recent study may confirm that observation.

The University of Michigan found that air pollution negatively impacts women’s weight, body fat, BMI, and waist circumference.

Does this mean that the key to weight loss lies in moving to another place? Or are there more important factors you could work on no matter where you are?

How did UM link air pollution with women’s weight?

The University of Michigan released an article about that study on October 13, 2022. It says that Xin Wang, a research investigator at the UM School of Public Health, was its first author.

He and his team gathered data from 1,654 women registered in the Study of Women’s Health Across The Nation. Their baseline median age was roughly 50 years.

The study tracked these ladies from 2000 to 2008. Meanwhile, researchers assigned yearly air pollution exposures by linking home addresses with hybrid estimates of air pollutant concentrations. 

They wanted to figure out if these associations varied depending on physical activity. The results found that air pollution has a connection to increased women’s weight, body fat, and proportion fat.

For example, body fat rose by 4.5% or roughly 2.6 pounds. Still, the findings do not apply to men or women in other age ranges. 

How to keep a healthy weight

The most important discovery was that physical activity effectively kept the pounds down. In other words, you can stay fit even in a city.

You can start by following what the UM study suggested. Try doing cardiovascular exercises like crunches and burpees at home.

Doing chores could also help you lose weight. For example, vacuuming your floors and sweeping leaves in your yard counts as physical activity.

You may also try jogging or playing sports outside. Bring friends along to keep you motivated and have more fun. 

Change other parts of your lifestyle by shifting your diet. Eat more healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, and limit your portions. Also, avoid junk food.

You could follow routines like keto, vegan, and paleo. For example, taking time to munch on your food will help you control cravings.

Conclusion

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that dirty air could be a factor in increased women’s weight. However, it did not elaborate on how the effect works.

The findings indicated that physical activity could prevent the negative effects of air pollution on weight. In other words, you can keep yourself healthy with daily exercise. 

You may also try getting an Apple Watch Ultra to motivate your lifestyle change. Moreover, you may nourish your mind with the latest Inquirer USA articles.

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