← brief for 2026-09-01 · Nutrition & lifestyle
Ambient PM <sub>2.5</sub> Concentration and the Cardiovascular Response to Exercise Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Across Global Pollution Gradients
Key takeaways
This review looked at many studies from around the world and found that high air pollution (PM2.5) reduces how much exercise helps the heart — people in dirty-air areas saw about half the blood pressure and fitness gains seen in clean-air areas. The analysis included over 10,000 people across 42 trials, and the effect was clear even after adjusting for age, sex, and other health issues. For people with kidney disease, this means exercise still helps, but the benefit is smaller when air quality is poor.
Who did this work
Donaldson JA (Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, , ,) · Cai S (Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, Division of Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medical Sciences, , ,) · Hansell AL (Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, Division of Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medical Sciences, , ,) · Hey JV (Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, Division of Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medical Sciences, , ,) · Panchal R (Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, Division of Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medical Sciences, , ,) · Edwards J (School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, , ,) · Abdelrazik A (Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, , ,) · Yates T (Diabetes Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, , ,) · Ng A (Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, , ,) · O’Driscoll J (Diabetes Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, , ,)
Source
Paper · Europe PMC, CKD mind-body · 2026-08-23
https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.20.26360886