The role of vitamins in preventing the detrimental effects of pollution

IN MANY cities around the world, pollution has become a major cause of health issues. A common problem that if taken for granted pollution usually leads to chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In urban areas, air pollution is inescapable, although the human body has a way of filtering out large particles (2.5 microns and up), but finer particles cannot be filtered enough, and accumulation can trigger chronic inflammatory responses.

Haeri Roh-Schmidt, Ph.D., DSM head of ASEAN, DNP, HNH APAC

There are nutritional solutions to combat the effects of polluted air, a problem that is only getting worse, according to Haeri Roh-Schmidt, Ph.D., head of ASEAN, DNP, HNH APAC at DSM. In a lecture at Fi Asia, Dr Roh-Schmidt talked about how the ABCDEF solution becomes an armor against air contaminants. She said the B solution refers to the B vitamins; C&E are the antioxidant solutions. “The D solution talks about the fact that the polluted air often is detrimental to the amount of vitamin D that you can produce as a result of sun exposure,” she explained. “So supplementary vitamin D whether it is from the food or supplements from other sources is certainly going to be of some benefit.”  The F solution refers to fish oil the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.

Dr Roh-Schmidt noted a study on how the quality of air affects healthy individuals versus individuals with hypertension. Over a three-month period, the study showed the insignificant difference in terms of heart rate variability between the two groups.

A study in 2005 investigated how nutritional value could benefit individuals that were affected by small particulate matter. This study conducted over a four-month period indicated that exposure to pm can be negated by the presence of 2gm of fish oil. "Fish oil was significantly associated with an increase in heart rate variability, again indicating that increased variability means one is healthier and more responsive," said Dr Roh-Schmidt. Between the control and the fish oil group there was significant improvement in antioxidant responses during exposure to particular matter in air pollution, she said.

“Vitamin D on the other hand, is getting its fame of being a sunshine vitamin because we all know that as much as vitamin D deficiency is rarely recognized it is not really that difficult to accumulate vitamin D in your body,” said Dr Roh-Schmidt. “We all know that if you get out, you get sun, you get active, you get sunlight, all of that certainly has a positive effect on your serum level of vitamin D.” But in Asia where it is generally sunny, people aren’t getting enough sunshine because no one wants to be in the sun for beauty reasons, she said. No one wants their skin to turn dark. Sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, but even this cannot be consumed enough, she said. Another way to get vitamin D is through fortified food or supplements.

More on this report in the next issue FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal.