A Little Help From Your Friends – Reducing Smoke Exposure Impact on Your Health
The lingering smoke from the wildfires had been blanketing this region for the past while, and even though it finally cleared and we can see the sun again (!) our bodies are still dealing with the impact of breathing in the fine particulate matter. Now is the time to lean on your ‘friends’ for some help to reduce health risks from this toxic exposure. Some ‘tried and true’ vitamins, dietary recommendations and basic support are even more important now, and in the coming weeks, as we aim to clear the health burden this exposure has created.
Beyond the short term acute issues of watery eyes, headaches, dry throat and cough, we know that following ongoing exposure to pollutants there is an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, an increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections, a worsening of asthma and COPD as well as an increase in overall inflammation in the body..1
One interesting study whereby participants were put in a pollution chamber for 2 hours and had the intervention of either placebo or B Vitamins (B12, folic acid and B6) those who took the B vitamins were able to reverse the epi-genetic damage from the exposure.2
“This single-blind crossover intervention trial with controlled exposure experiments found that two-hour exposure to concentrated ambient PM2.5 (250 μg/m3) has substantial physiologic impacts on HR, HRV, and WBCs among healthy adults. Further, we demonstrated that these effects are nearly abolished with four-week B-vitamin supplementation.”3
Other studies indicate that supplementation with vitamins C, vitamins E, and Omega 3 fatty acids might protect against short-term air pollution-induced adverse cardiopulmonary effects.4,5,6,
B vitamins also significantly assist our mental health. A recent survey of anxiety and depression in Canada during Covid indicates those who feel the best are exercising regularly outdoors, which was made impossible during the wildfire smoke.7 This ‘double whammy’ for mental health (Covid and Wildfires) means it is now more important than perhaps any other time in my 21 year career as a naturopathic doctor to lean on our ‘friends’ and take our Vitamins! If you are unclear what dosing and which ones are indicated for you specifically then schedule an appointment. I am available for either in-person or telemedicine appointments.
Nutritionally, the brassica vegetable family of broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage are highly antioxidant and can provide an extra boost of support.8
Adequate hydration is an important part of the detoxification equation. Enjoy your water with some slices of lemon, or cucumber or a sprig of mint.
Finally, you may want to add in some green tea. It is both a potent antioxidant that can protect and detoxify the effects of the exposure to the fine particulate matter (PM) but it also is a source of theanine which is calming to the nervous system.
“Endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress likely play roles in PM2.5-induced harmful effects. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic constituent of green tea, is a potent antioxidant that exerts protective effects on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in part by scavenging free radicals.”9
At times like these we can all use a little help from our friends!
Thanks to Dr. Louise Tolmann for inspiring this article.
Tong H. Dietary and pharmacological intervention to mitigate the cardiopulmonary effects of air pollution toxicity. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects 12, 2891–2898 (2016). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Tong H. et al.. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation appears to attenuate particulate air pollution-induced cardiac effects and lipid changes in healthy middle-aged adults. Environmental health perspectives 120, 952 (2012). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Tong H. et al.. Dietary supplementation with olive oil or fish oil and vascular effects of concentrated ambient particulate matter exposure in human volunteers. Environmental health perspectives 123, 1173 (2015). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2020006/article/00001-eng.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6272777/