Vitamin C can cut harmful effects of airpollution

A diet rich in fruits and veggies may lessen the harmful effects of
air pollution for people suffering from chronic lung diseases,
researchers suggest.
Researchers looked at London hospital patients with asthma or chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and found that those with low
levels of vitamin C had an increased risk of breathingproblems on days
when outdoor air pollution levels were high.
"This study adds to a smallbut growing body of evidence that the
effects of air pollution might be modified by antioxidants,"said
Michael Brauer, an environmental health scientist at the University of
British Columbia in Canada.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may protect the body from harmful
molecules called free radicals that damage cells. Free radicals can
form when air pollution enters the lungs, and evidence suggests they
play a role in heart disease, cancer and even respiratory ailments.
Antioxidants can bind to free radicals, counteractingthem before they
damage cells.
In the new study, researchers at Imperial College in London looked at
more than 200 patients admitted to the hospital for asthma or COPD,
along with the levels of air pollution on the days before and after
they entered the hospital. The majority of patients were between ages
54 and 74, though some were as young as 18. Many of them were former
smokers.
Specifically, the researchers looked at levels of "course particulate
matter," which is produced largely through the combustion offossil
fuels.
Results showed that with every increase in course particulate matter
of 10 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3), there was a 35 percent
increased risk of hospital admission for people with asthma or COPD.
However, the risk of admission was 1.2 times greater among people with
low levels of vitamin C.
Study researcher Cristina Canova said, "The protective effect of
vitamin C was still present after excluding smokers and elderly
subjects, implying that the effect of this antioxidant was not
explained by smoking or age." However, the study noted that smokers
and older people tend to have lower levels of many nutrients than
nonsmokers.