Saturday 4 March 2017

Supplementing Your Way to Health?


People sometimes suggest that animal experiments have little direct relevance to human health but a study with mice may be helpful in dealing with the growing concerns about the effects of air pollution, especially on children in London schools (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/03/oil-supplements-could-tackle-harmful-health-effects-of-air-pollution). The study suggests that adding omega 3 oils (in oily fish and flax oil etc) to the mouse diets can reduce the lung damage caused by oxidative stress by between 30 and 50%. It has been known for some time that air pollution (including a simply occluding the sun?) reduces vitamin D levels in people. If the studies are confirmed, perhaps the authorities should consider offering free vitamin supplementation (as getting all to eat mackerel may be difficult) to people forced to live or study in areas of high pollution (so long as they continue with attempts to reduce actual pollution levels)?

No comments:

A New Type of Money Laundering?

Thames Water is the UK's biggest privatised (thank you, Mrs Thatcher!) water company, with around 15 million customers. All such water...