It’s been a warm, sunny summer — and with those higher temperatures come naturally elevated ozone levels, which can add extra pollutants to the air and put a bit more strain on your lungs.
This is just part of how summer works: high temperatures and strong sunlight increase the photochemical reactions that form ozone, and lighter summer winds mean pollutants take a little longer to clear near the ground.
The good news? You don’t need to stay indoors to stay healthy. With a few simple precautions — including antioxidant supplements that help support your lungs — you can keep doing what you love outside.
So get out there and enjoy the last weeks of summer!
The Power of Supplements Against Air Pollutants
Researchers are finding that taking dietary supplements with antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties has the potential to provide at least partial protection against air pollution-induced adverse health effects, especially in individuals who are most susceptible.1
Vitamins C and E can help protect the lungs against short-term ozone and afternoon exposure. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) such as fish oil and olive oil appear to offer protection against short-term air pollution-induced adverse cardiovascular responses.1
A systematic review of 13 studies that looked at the potential benefit of antioxidant supplementation to protect lungs from air pollution found that 10 of the studies showed some protection by including Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Beta carotene supplementation.2
A study of the effect of Vitamin C and E supplementation on lung inflammation and performance in runners in a hot, humid, and ozone-polluted environment showed that antioxidant supplementation may help protect the lungs in adverse conditions. However, the vitamins had little effect on the runners’ performance.3
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, suppresses pro-inflammatory molecules that get triggered when you breathe in dirty air.4 It also increases the production of natural antioxidants like glutathione to help fight cellular damage from free radicals caused by fine particulate matter.5,6
So, go outside and enjoy yourself. But play it safe and protect your lungs with antioxidant support and good common sense.
