Postmenopausal women are susceptible to damaging their bones when exposed to air pollution, in keeping with latest research. 

A study published within the Lancet journal last week found that elevated levels of air pollutants may lead to bone damage in postmenopausal women. 

The researchers behind the potential observational study wanted to find out how environmental aspects, resembling air pollution, could affect osteoporosis in elderly women. 

After collecting data from 161,808 postmenopausal women enrolled within the Women’s Health Initiative, the team estimated the air pollution exposures of the participants based on their home addresses. 

The team measured the participants’ bone mineral density using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry upon enrollment. They then conducted follow-up measurements at yr one, yr three and yr six. 

After analyzing data, the scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health noticed how the air pollutants affected the bones of the elderly participants. Among the many pollutants, nitrous oxide seemed to be essentially the most alarming. It caused twice as much damage to the lumbar spine in comparison with normal aging. 

“On this cohort study, higher levels of air pollutants were related to bone damage, particularly on lumbar spine, amongst postmenopausal women. These findings highlight nitrogen oxide exposure as a number one contributor to bone loss in postmenopausal women, expanding previous findings of air pollution-related bone damage,” they wrote. 

The damaging effects of the pollutants are believed to be attributable to bone cell death triggered by oxidative damage and other mechanisms. 

“Our findings confirm that poor air quality could also be a risk factor for bone loss, independent of socioeconomic or demographic aspects. For the primary time, we now have evidence that nitrogen oxides, specifically, are a serious contributor to bone damage and that the lumbar spine is probably the most susceptible sites of this damage,” study first writer Diddier Prada, MD, Ph.D., associate research scientist within the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, said in a news release.

It was not the primary time scientists examined how air pollution affects human bones. Previous research claimed exposure to air pollutants could reduce bone mineral density and increase the danger of bone fracture. The team behind the brand new study said more research is required to find out other individuals who could also be susceptible to bone damage resulting from air pollution. 

“Improvements in air pollution exposure, particularly nitrogen oxides, will reduce bone damage in postmenopausal women, prevent bone fractures, and reduce the health cost burden related to osteoporosis amongst postmenopausal women. Further efforts should give attention to detecting those at higher risk of air pollution-related bone damage,” said lead writer Andrea Baccarelli, MD, Ph.D., the chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia.