But what’s murkier is the relationship between the two. Associate Professor Zorana Jovanovic Andersen of the University of Copenhagen’s center for epidemiology and screening in Denmark set out to investigate whether huffing and puffing during exercise means we take in extra air pollution, too. Turns out, the effects of any additional pollution exposure are pretty minimal—small enough that city living shouldn’t discourage you from taking your workout routine outside. Despite the damage air pollution exposure can do to your lifespan, the well-documented benefits of exercise on longevity still prevail, according to her findings. MORE: How Cow Gas Is Killing The Planet , published in , examined more than 52,000 people between the ages of 50 and 65 from Copenhagen or Arhaus who were part of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort study. Between 1993 and 1997, they reported their physical activity, and researchers checked in on them until 2010, noting air pollution levels at their residential addresses and keeping tabs on who had passed away and from what. By 2010, 5,500 study participants had died, but about 20% fewer had died among those who exercised on the regular. People who played sports had a 22% lower risk of dying during the study, cyclists had a 17% lower risk, and even casual gardeners benefited from a 16% lower risk, compared to their less-active peers—even if they had high exposure to air pollution while doing so. The studyEnvironmental Health Perspectives The World Health Organization estimates that 7 million people around the world die prematurely each year because of air pollution exposure. But regular exercise is a known lifespan extender. “We know very well the wide range of benefits exercise has, including heart and lung function, preventing obesity and diabetes, and protecting against Alzheimer’s and dementia; it improves and prolongs our longevity,” Andersen says. “Air pollution, of course, has negative effects on many of the same functions.” But because everyone is exposed to air pollution, with only small variations in exposure due to where you live, exercising in a city still adds benefits, she says. MORE: 29 Surprising Signs You’ll Live To 100 However, larger variations may exist between major cities, Andersen cautions. There’s a difference between the air pollution in a city like Copenhagen where her study was conducted and the air pollution in a city like Beijing, or even maybe Los Angeles. But the findings likely apply to most European and American cities, she says. MORE: 14 Walking Workouts That Blast Fat Of course, we’d all be best off sweating it out in fresher, cleaner air. “If the choice is between exercise and no exercise, you should choose exercise,” Andersen says. “But if there’s an option of exercising in cleaner air, even choosing a smaller road over a bigger, busier one will reduce your general exposure to air pollution in a beneficial way.”
