Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered significant links between IAP and increased blood pressure in a study of 280 women over 50 in rural China.
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, was carried out over a period of 24 hours, during which the women wore portable devices that sampled the air they breathed in. This data was then mapped against the blood pressure of each of the participants to determine whether there was a correlation between the smoke being breathed in and increased blood pressure.
A huge number of households in rural China still rely on open fires and biomass fuels for cooking and heating their homes, creating smoke that can severely damage the health of the entire family. Researcher Jill Baumgartner and her colleagues found that IAP released by these methods of cooking stimulates the nervous system and constricts blood vessels. This significantly raises blood pressure in the short term, while in the long term IAP causes oxidative stress, further raising blood pressure. Increased blood pressure also leaves people vulnerable to other cardiovascular problems such as strokes and heart disease.
Greater adoption of clean cookstove technology will help combat these effects. The study estimates that the reduction in IAP caused by curtailing the use of biomass fuels would result in an 18 percent decrease in coronary heart disease and a 22 percent decrease in stroke among Asian women aged 50 to 59 years. These benefits could save the lives of 230,900 women in China alone each year.
Read the full study on: Indoor Air Pollution and Blood Pressure in Adult Women Living in Rural China
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, was carried out over a period of 24 hours, during which the women wore portable devices that sampled the air they breathed in. This data was then mapped against the blood pressure of each of the participants to determine whether there was a correlation between the smoke being breathed in and increased blood pressure.
A huge number of households in rural China still rely on open fires and biomass fuels for cooking and heating their homes, creating smoke that can severely damage the health of the entire family. Researcher Jill Baumgartner and her colleagues found that IAP released by these methods of cooking stimulates the nervous system and constricts blood vessels. This significantly raises blood pressure in the short term, while in the long term IAP causes oxidative stress, further raising blood pressure. Increased blood pressure also leaves people vulnerable to other cardiovascular problems such as strokes and heart disease.
Greater adoption of clean cookstove technology will help combat these effects. The study estimates that the reduction in IAP caused by curtailing the use of biomass fuels would result in an 18 percent decrease in coronary heart disease and a 22 percent decrease in stroke among Asian women aged 50 to 59 years. These benefits could save the lives of 230,900 women in China alone each year.
Read the full study on: Indoor Air Pollution and Blood Pressure in Adult Women Living in Rural China
