Using High Efficiency Particle Air Filters May Improve Cardiovascular Health

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Using High Efficiency Particle Air Filters May Improve Cardiovascular Health

_http://www.naturalnews.com/022844.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/022844.html)

 

 

by Leslee Dru Browning _(see all articles by this author)_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/Author63.html)

 

 

(NaturalNews) One day doctors may recommend using high efficiency particle

air (HEPA) filters along with weight loss, smoking cessation, and exercise to

improve cardiovascular health, according to researchers in Denmark. In a

recent study, they found that using HEPA filters for just two days

significantly

improved a key measure of cardiovascular health in healthy, non-smoking

elderly individuals.

 

" Reduction of particle exposure by filtration of re-circulated air for only

48 hours improved the microvascular function (MVF) in healthy _elderly_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/elderly.html)

_http://www.naturalnews.com/elderly.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/elderly.html) citizens, " said Professor

Steffen Loft, M.D., D.M.Sc., of the Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen.

" This

suggests that indoor air filtration represents a feasible means of reducing

cardiovascular risk. " Abnormal function of the inner lining of small vessels

is known to be a predictor of dangerous or possibly fatal cardiovascular

events.

 

The researchers measured MVF and ambient airborne particles in the homes of

21 non-smoking couples aged 60-75 who lived close to heavily trafficked

roads. Each couple used air purifiers for two 48-hour periods. During one

period,

the purifier was equipped with a HEPA filter, and during the other, it ran

without it, so that each individual served as his or her own control. The size

distribution and number concentration of indoor air particles in each home

were continuously monitored.

 

The researchers then assessed each individual's MVF using a noninvasive

finger sensor. Several secondary endpoints were studied in blood and urine

samples to assess possible mechanisms of action: markers of inflammation,

hemostasis, and oxidative stress.

 

" Our main finding was a significant improvement in the function of small

finger blood vessels after reduction of indoor air particles. This effect most

likely indicates a general improvement in the function of the inner lining of

small vessels, including those supplying the heart, " said Dr. Loft.

 

The researchers found that HEPA filtration removed about 60 percent of the

ultrafine, fine and coarse air particles in homes, and was associated with an

8.1 percent improvement in individual MVF.

 

" We expected that removing air particles with the HEPA filters would result

in improvement of MVF but we were heartened and surprised by the extent it

did, considering the modest levels of particles in the indoor air of the homes

of the elderly, " said Dr. Loft.

 

None of the secondary endpoints considered showed significant differences

after statistical corrections, suggesting that the mechanism underlying the

improvement in MVF after air filtration remains unclear, and underscoring the

need for further study.

 

" The results of this study indicate that reduction of particles in

re-circulated indoor air by filtration significantly improves MVF in a healthy,

non-smoking, elderly population, " wrote Dr. Loft. " The improvement could not be

ascribed to significant reduction in inflammation or oxidative stress by means

of biomarkers. "

 

Dr. Loft and his team are now studying the effect of high levels of wood

smoke on MVF in healthy subjects. They hope that the mechanisms can be better

understood by means of a wider range of secondary endpoints, including

expression of important genes, which they are currently developing.

 

Looking at this study I would recommend that HEPA _air filters_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/air_filters.html)

_http://www.naturalnews.com/air_filters.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/air_filters.html) &

_http://www.naturalnews.com/021657.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/021657.html) be placed in every

home. It just may help prevent children and healthy young adults from heart

disease and environmental illness that are so prevalent today.

 

Source:

 

The study was published in the second issue for February of the American

Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American

Thoracic Society. American Thoracic Society (2008, February 18). Using High

Efficiency Particle Air Filters May Improve Cardiovascular Health.

 

About the author

Leslee Dru Browning is a 6th generation Medical Herbalist & Nutritionist

from the ancestral line of Patty Bartlett Sessions; Pioneer Mid-Wife &

Herbalist. Leslee practiced Medical Herbalism and Nutritional Healing for over

25

years and specialized in Cancer Wellness along with Chronic Illness. She now

devotes her career to teaching people, through her writing, about Natural

Healing

from An Herbal Perspective.