{"id":1196,"date":"2021-12-14T10:53:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T18:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/outdoor-workouts-in-high-pollution-may-harm-your-brain\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T20:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T03:37:13","slug":"pollution-hinders-exercise-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/pollution-hinders-exercise-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Outdoor workouts in high pollution may harm your brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3598-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3598-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Outdoor workouts in high pollution may harm your brain\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Until now, scientists had not investigated how living in a polluted environment could offset the benefits of exercise. (Photo: Shutterstock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=sustainability\">Sustainability<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Outdoor workouts in high pollution may harm your brain<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Air pollution diminishes the mental health benefits of exercise and may make a person more susceptible to Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia, according to research by USC Dornsife and Arizona neuroscientists. <strong>[1\u00be min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Paul McQuiston<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">December 14, 2021<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 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10.8c-1.087-2.114-4.046-6.053-6.798-7.995C2.566.944 1.561 1.266.902 1.565C.139 1.908 0 3.08 0 3.768c0 .69.378 5.65.624 6.479c.815 2.736 3.713 3.66 6.383 3.364c.136-.02.275-.039.415-.056c-.138.022-.276.04-.415.056c-3.912.58-7.387 2.005-2.83 7.078c5.013 5.19 6.87-1.113 7.823-4.308c.953 3.195 2.05 9.271 7.733 4.308c4.267-4.308 1.172-6.498-2.74-7.078a8.741 8.741 0 0 1-.415-.056c.14.017.279.036.415.056c2.67.297 5.568-.628 6.383-3.364c.246-.828.624-5.79.624-6.478c0-.69-.139-1.861-.902-2.206c-.659-.298-1.664-.62-4.3 1.24C16.046 4.748 13.087 8.687 12 10.8\"  fill-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n              <\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Bluesky<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_email\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#email\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>How you exercise matters \u2014 but neuroscience researchers have found that\u00a0<em>where<\/em>\u00a0you exercise may be just as important, especially for brain health.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the scoop?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Researchers have connected physical activity \u2014 especially vigorous activity \u2014 with reduced risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/li>\n<li>Inversely, brain health suffers significantly for people living in highly polluted areas. Air pollution like car exhaust can lead to a higher risk of dementia.<\/li>\n<li>A new study\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/n.neurology.org\/content\/early\/2021\/10\/28\/WNL.0000000000013031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published in the journal\u00a0<em>Neurology<\/em><\/a>\u00a0indicates vigorous exercise in a highly polluted area can actually diminish the positive brain benefits of exercise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Until now, scientists had not investigated how living in a polluted environment could offset the benefits of exercise.<\/p>\n<h2>In their words:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cWe found that, while vigorous physical activity was good for brain health, exposure to air pollution seemed to mute some of these benefits,\u201d said\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/bisc\/faculty_display.cfm?Person_ID=1086183\">David Raichlen<\/a>, professor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bisc\">biological sciences<\/a>\u00a0at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the study\u2019s senior author.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe amount of air pollution we looked at in this study is well within the normal ranges of air pollution for even cities most people would consider \u2018healthy,\u2019\u201d said Melissa Furlong of the University of Arizona and lead author of the study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What to do?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Raichlen reiterated the findings do not suggest eliminating exercise in polluted areas.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe\u2019re not recommending we avoid all exercise in air pollution,\u201d said Raichlen. \u201cWe do think we should put more thought into where we exercise, and, for example, avoid areas that are close to vehicle traffic.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>The team did not find that physical activity in these areas contributes to poor brain health, only that air pollution diminished the benefits of physical activity for some aspects of brain health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The takeaway:<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThese results really underscore the need to focus on reducing air pollution exposure in urban environments,\u201d Raichlen said. \u201cCleaning up air in our cities will allow us all to gain the benefits of physical activity regardless of where we live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.usc.edu\/195662\/air-pollution-outdoor-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>See USC News for the full story &gt;&gt;<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/evolutionary-history-explain-why-some-develop-severe-covid-19\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Evolutionary history may help explain why some people develop more severe COVID-19 than others<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/what-makes-muscles-contract-physiologist-explains-how-muscles-move\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >What makes muscles contract? A physiologist explains how muscles\u00a0move<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/study-finds-stomach-helps-the-brain-form-memories\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >How the stomach helps the brain form memories<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Air pollution diminishes the mental health benefits of exercise and may make a person more susceptible to Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia, according to research by USC Dornsife and Arizona neuroscientists. <strong>[1\u00be min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":1199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[257,117,284,143,327,69],"class_list":["post-1196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-technology","category-sustainability","tag-alzheimers-disease","tag-biology","tag-david-raichlen","tag-faculty","tag-human-and-evolutionary-biology","tag-pollution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Outdoor workouts in high pollution may harm your brain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Air pollution diminishes the mental health benefits of exercise and may make a person more susceptible to Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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