Aspirin can reduce side effects of air pollution

Taking an aspirin may reduce the adverse effects of air pollution on your body, states a new study.

Researchers from the university of Columbia, Harvard and Boston analyzed the lungs of over 2,000 participants, and the effects the anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) has on them. 

The study titled “Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Modify the Effect of Short-Term Air Pollution on Lung Function”, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that after using the drug the side effects of pollution on a person’s lung were lessened by 50 per cent.

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The particulate matter (PM), which is a mix of solid and liquid particles suspended in air that are hazardous to a person, come from a range of sources such as vehicles, coal-fired power plants and burning of fossil fuels. 

"Our findings suggest that aspirin and other NSAIDs may protect the lungs from short-term spikes in air pollution," stated first and corresponding author Xu Gao, PhD, a post-doctoral research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School, in a press release. 

"Of course, it is still important to minimize our exposure to air pollution, which is linked to a host of adverse health effects, from cancer to cardiovascular disease."

An earlier study by the group found that vitamins B may also play a role in reducing the health impact of air pollution.

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