Living amid pollution raises risk of crippling bone disease

LIVING in polluted areas increases the risk of brittle bones and devastating fractures in the elderly.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York have studied the records of more than nine million people and found that even slight rises in airborne particles from vehicle emissions could be linked to lower bone density.

They believe that pollution impairs the production of key hormones and bone minerals, leading to osteoporosis.

The debilitating disease is suffered by three million people in Britain, disproportionately women, and risks increase with age. In some cases, patients can break bones with a simple hug.

Last month the Duchess of Cornwall, whose mother and grandmother died after spending “agonising” years with the condition, urged young people to build up bone strength through good diet and exercise before they reached 30. But the study, published in The Lancet, found that pollution undermined bone strength regardless of lifestyle.

Dr Andrea Baccarelli said: “Decades of careful research has documented the health risks of air pollution, from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, to cancer, and impaired cognition, and now osteoporosis.

“Among the many benefits of clean air, our research suggests, are improved bone health.”

In his research, Dr Baccarelli reported that Vitamin B could diminish the effects of air pollution-induced cardiovascular disease, as well as damage to DNA. It was unclear, however, if the benefits extended to bone loss.

The National Osteoporosis Society advises eating dairy products, green leafy vegetables, broccoli and baked beans to gain healthy amounts of calcium and vitamin D, which is known to help strengthen bones.