GET OFF THE ROAD

If you live in a city, it’s healthier for your brain if you exercise in a park or along a quiet canal path instead of near busy roads. New research in the journal Neurology found that people who do vigorous jogging or competitive sports in areas with higher air pollution get less benefit from their exercise, particularly with regards to their brain health. The effects of exercise on your brain’s white matter – the ‘cables’ which connect the various signals pulsing through your brain – were found to be less beneficial when the exercise was done in a polluted environment.

“More research is needed, but if our findings are replicated, public policy could be used to address people’s exposure to air pollution during exercise,” said researcher Dr Melissa Furlong, of the University of Arizona.