04-27-23

Surprising Health-Environment Connections

As we reflect on the recent Earth Day celebrations, it’s important to remember that our efforts to promote sustainability shouldn’t be limited to just one day of the year. Mother Nature continually provides for us, and we all know that we should be taking steps to help support and care for her to the best of our abilities. But what many of us may forget is that by giving back to the planet, we are also giving back to ourselves because our health and the environment are more intricately linked than we realize. 

Don’t believe us? Here are just four of the many connections that have been discovered between the environment and our health. 

1. Air Pollution May Keep You From Getting the Full Benefit of Exercise 

Regular exercise is good for every part of your body, including your brain. Recently, a study of 8,600 participants was conducted that examined the impact of air pollution and exercise on brain health and it found that exercising in areas with high air pollution may counteract some of the positive effects that physical activity has on the brain. This is because when you workout, especially if you are working out vigorously, you are taking deeper breaths and drawing more polluted air into your body where it can cause damage to organs like your brain. With that being said, the benefits of exercise do seem to still outweigh the risk.

2. There are More Microplastics in Our Air Than We Thought

We all know that the abundance of plastics polluting our oceans is a problem, but have you ever thought about the plastics that are polluting our air? That’s right. The air we breathe likely contains airborne microplastics, and scientists are now uncovering that they may be more prevalent than we originally thought. One recent study out of New Zealand found that approximately 74 tons of microplastics fall on Auckland each year, which is equivalent to about 3 million plastic bottles. While we don’t know the exact impact breathing these microplastics can have on our health, we do know that it is not ideal. 

3. As Our Population Grows it’s Becoming Harder to Access Nature

There’s no doubt that tearing down natural areas is bad for the environment and our health. Not only does the surrounding wildlife depend on that area for survival, but these green spaces are also beneficial for our health, both physically and mentally. A research article published in 2022 examined how our access to nature has changed in the past few decades, and the findings were insightful. The researchers uncovered that the average person lives approximately 7% farther away from a natural area compared to 20 years ago, making it that much more difficult for the average person to embrace the many health benefits that nature has to offer. 

4. Plants are Becoming More Productive, and it Comes with a Cost  

We all know that photosynthesis is the process that allows plants to convert carbon dioxide into energy and oxygen. With greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise, there is more CO2 in the air than ever. As a result, plants are thriving because the more CO2 they have to sequester, the more energy they can make, which means they naturally become more productive and can grow faster. While this may sound like a good thing, particularly for agriculture, a new study conducted by Michigan State University suggests that this may not be the case. This study found that the increase in carbon dioxide does in fact spur growth in plants, but it does so at the expense of other processes, particularly those that affect the nutritional profile of that plant. In short, the increase in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is causing plants to grow larger and contain fewer nutrients than their smaller counterparts. 

With all of that in mind, let’s not let this year’s Earth Day celebrations be a one-and-done event. Instead, join us in forming sustainable daily habits  that will help us protect our planet and our own health year-round!