Air pollution not only boosts lung cancer rates but is also a threat to the brain too.
Invisible to the naked eye, air pollution can have profound effects on your body.
Researchers in a recent BMJ Open study have found that those living in areas with higher levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have shown signs of greater dementia development after 50 than those who live in less polluted regions.
Experts are finding that even a little exposure to air pollution can have dramatic consequences. For instance, a recent study in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and the British Heart Foundation has found that even small levels of exposure can lead to changes like functional changes in the heart.
“The researchers reported that their findings were akin to being inactive for a day or with elevated blood pressure all the time,” according to Dr. Nay Aung of Queen Mary University of London, who led a data analysis study.
Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director with the British Heart Foundation explains that “what is particularly worrying about these results is that the levels of air pollution in which we saw people developing heart remodeling are not even deemed to be a high level by the government.”
And let’s not forget that air pollutants can travel to the brain and cause some serious damage.
A recent Chinese study found that chronic exposure to air pollution (especially near heavily traveled roads and intersections) can negatively impact both math and language skills.
An international study has found that people who are chronically exposed to high levels of pollution may lose the equivalent of a year’s worth of education. Elderly individuals appear to be among those who are most severely affected, losing up to two years’ worth of education- backing up this week’s findings.
The best defense your body has against harmful pollutants is provided by important in-built systems like the liver and kidneys.
1. Get your iodine quota
Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 require iodine to be made in the body. Both are believed to play a major role in regulating the basal metabolic rate for every single cell, including cells within our liver, which help filter out pollutants from the environment we live in.
As such, thyroid dysfunction may disturb liver function and vice-versa. A review by the Department of Medicine at University College London (UCL) highlights the intricate relationship between the thyroid and the liver in health and disease. Therefore, alterations in a person’s iodine status can affect their liver’s detoxification process via changes in their thyroid condition
The heavy metal iodine, when taken orally, can help reduce the damaging effects of other chemicals and enable greater excretion.
The European Union Nutrient Reference Value (EU NRV) for iodine is 150 micrograms per day.
Healthista’s Director of Prevention, Rick Hay shares a simple tip for re-establishing iodine levels after you start getting sick: make sure to add “sea salt, organic eggs, spirulina and tuna” to your diet.
“To get your daily iodine intake, consume a few grams of seaweed such as nori or wakame, 50g of cranberries, 5 prunes per day. Take care not to consume too much kelp because even one gram can exceed the recommended daily value.”
2. Eat Brazil nuts and brown rice
Selenium is an essential mineral that many bodily functions depend on.
A deficiency can result in minor symptoms like being tired, having weak muscles, or having brain fog. But a lack of nutrients from food can also lead to greater susceptibility for cancers as reported by the medical journal The Lancet in 2012.
Selenium’s protective effects on key detox systems in the body such as the liver and the lungs make it important to have an appropriate level of this mineral in our diets.
A study by the Pomeranian Medical University in Poland has found that low selenium levels can both cause and lead to laryngeal or lung cancer.
It is recommended that all people consume 55 micrograms of Selenium daily, from the EU NRV.
“Selenium can be found in Brazil nuts, tuna, sunflower seeds, and mushrooms. But by far the easiest way to get it is to have a couple of Brazil nuts,” Rick Hay recommends. ‘A couple of eggs and a cup of rice will give you the protein your body needs, as well as a crunchy bite. You can get more from 100g of chicken or turkey, or 30g plump sunflower seeds.’
3. Keep your Vitamin C levels up
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against oxidative damage in one’s cardiovascular system and lungs.
The lungs have a close relationship with the CVS. The lung not only contains many blood vessels, but it also facilitates gas exchange between the blood and inhaled air. Any substances that are beneficial to CVS will, directly or indirectly, benefit the lungs.
As we inhale air, our lungs continuously filter out all the junk that comes into our bodies.
People with celiac disease have a higher risk of developing various conditions, including cancer and inflammatory disorders.
The likelihood that the lungs will be vulnerable to these conditions is influenced by how effective they are at fighting back against the oxidative stress caused by pollution.
According to Rick Hay, vitamin C can have benefits beyond boosting the immune system. It can cleanse the body as well. However, he says it should not be overlooked for its ability to boost immunity when consumed in addition to berries, citrus fruit, kiwi, and other vegetables.
“Hay recommends that people take 1000-2000mg of vitamin C for optimal detoxification benefits. For example, one kiwi fruit yields the RDA and a cup of black currants will also suffice. Similarly, half an orange with a cup of berries is enough. It may be beneficial to consume leafy green vegetables throughout the day.”
4. Get the rays when you can
Not only does Vitamin D have a positive effect on bones, but it also has similarly strong effects on the lungs.
A recent collaborative study by the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University published in 2013 in PLOS One has proven that vitamin D regulates the population of good bacteria as well as key immune cells involved in asthmatic attacks.
The study showed that an asthma attack in vitamin D-deficient mice was worse than the same asthma attack in vitamin D-replete mice.
However, the research found that Vitamin D could also reduce symptoms of asthma for those deficient in it. More significantly, supplementation was a more important factor than genetics towards reducing the severity of an attack.
Rick Hay explains the most common vitamin deficiency is that of Vitamin D. “It can not only help with your bones but it also helps with immunity, mood, and lung function.”
The EU recommends a daily dose of 5 µg or 200 IU for Vitamin D.
“For adequate vitamin D levels, you should increase your intake of fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, organic cheese, tofu, eggs from organic chickens, shiitake mushrooms, and fortified cereals,” suggests Hay.
One of the best ways to get vitamin D is via sunshine. According to doctors, most people can make their own vitamin D from being out in the sun for short periods without any sunscreen located between 11 am-3 pm during the months of March to October.
5. Fill up on avocados and almonds
Almonds and avocados are both rich in polyunsaturated fats and Vitamin E, which means they can help the body detox just as well as any trendy diet.
One of the biggest benefits of vitamin E is that it is fat-soluble meaning it’s better at protecting against free radicals which damage cholesterol and increases our risk for atherosclerosis, a hardening of veins and arteries caused by saturated fat deposits within the walls.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and assists in the function of the liver, among other important health factors.
During the process of getting rid of potentially harmful substances, for example, a lot of free radicals are produced by the liver.
These toxins can damage biological molecules such as protein, lipids, and DNA while deactivating important detoxifying enzymes.
Therefore, antioxidant supplementation is especially important for this vital detoxification organ and, amongst them, full range vitamin E.
Rick Hay says that vitamin E is one of the key antioxidant vitamins and can help with hair, skin, and nail health along with liver cleanse. Key food choices are almonds, seeds, spinach, kale, avocado, and pine nuts.
The European Union’s nutritionally required daily value (NRV) for vitamin E is 12 milligrams or 17.9 International Units.
6. Try a liver detox supplement
Chlorella is derived from the Greek and Latin languages which means green in color.
The small size of chlorella belies its benefits, among which is a contribution to detoxification in the body.
Chlorella, when combined with iodine-rich foods, can help your body detox and cleanse.
Chlorella is an alga found all over the world that is known for its health benefits. One of these benefits includes its ability to promote immune function and be a key component in digestion relief products to relieve constipation.
It also contains these long, hard fibers called fucans that are believed to latch onto chemicals like heavy metals and help neutralise them. Fucans also make the laborious chore of excreting them a lot easier for our bodies.
Chlorella from a reliable source is essential to get the most out of it, especially because chlorella has metal-chelating properties. It can bind with metal ion pollutants in seawater.
This means that you are ingesting the toxic compounds you are trying to get rid of.
Rick Hay recommends chlorella as a way to eliminate heavy metal toxicity. It is also used in mercury detox protocols for patients suffering from amalgam fillings.
Rick Hay suggests adding a supplement, like the Synergy Natural Organic Chlorella to your diet. The product is both ecologically and organically grown in large, shallow ponds before being carefully dried by a spray that preserves its nutritional content.
‘Dr. Hay explains, “For superior absorption and digestibility, the cell walls are cracked open”. To preserve the nutrient and enzyme content of Purity Chlorella Max 12, it is packaged by nitrogen flushing to eliminate oxygen. This eliminates any fillers or additives. What you get is 100% pure chlorella
The recommended dose is one to three teaspoons per day.
Plant extracts were found to be more beneficial in some instances than the popular Hepaticum pharmaceutical drug.
Researchers noticed that one of the main components in milk thistle extract was a plant compound known as silymarin. They also discovered that people who took silymarin-containing supplements experienced an increase in their HDL/LDL ratio (the good to bad cholesterol) and glutathione levels, which are both associated with better health.
Higher HDL/LDL ratios are better for your health since it means there is more good cholesterol circulating than bad. And glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants so using this herb makes you twice as healthy!