Breathing dirty air could make your bones more fragile

1

A new study reports a link between higher levels of air pollution and faster bone loss due to osteoporosis.

The risk of osteoporosis increases with age, especially in postmenopausal women. In the new study, the authors collected data on a diverse group of 9,041 women over six years. Using the participants' home addresses to estimate exposure to various particles in the air, the researchers found that as pollution increased, bone density decreased. “Our results support the idea that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss independent of socioeconomic or demographic factors,” the researchers say. A 10% increase in air nitrogen was associated with an average annual loss of 1.22% in lumbar spine bone mineral density.