Study Predicts Heart Health Risk

Study Predicts Heart Health RiskWashington, Dec 2. -Through the small blood vessels it is possible to determine the effect of environmental pollution on heart health, published PLoS Medicine journal in its latest issue.

When a person is exposed to air pollution, blood microvessels of the eye suffer a constriction, which shows the risk for heart health, said researchers at the University of Michigan.

The study of the 4,607 healthy people between 45 to 84 years, seems to be the first to examine the impact of pollution in the small blood vessels that irrigate the heart.

The researchers measured the levels of environmental pollution before analyzing the volunteers' eyes with the purpose of analyzing the exposure to pollution in short-term.

As a result, they found that those who were less subjected to pollution had blood microvessels as if they were three years older.

Meanwhile, those who were exposed to polluted air for a longer time had blood microvessels similar to individuals seven years older. (Prensa Latina)