One of the leading causes of death all over the world are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Many experts agree that one of the biggest factors at alleviating CVDs is by making personal lifestyle changes. But one of the main things that people need to consider are the environmental factors like climate change and pollution, all of which raise the risk of a person developing CVD significantly.
According to experts, being able to understand the link between CVDs and the environment more is crucial to helping lessen the risk of eventually developing cardiovascular disease.
In a new review, it goes on to highlight the effects of the environment on the possibility of getting a cardiovascular disease. The results from this study have been published in Cardiovascular Research journal, which also talks about different strategies that may help lessen the number of people all over the globe that are suffering from of CVDs.
Let’s Talk CVDs
The World Health Organization (WHO) goes on to say that CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. This global health crisis kills around 17.9 million people every year.
Because CVDs affect an individual’s heart and vessels, it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, which take account for ‘4 out of every 5 deaths due to CVDs.’ The WHO also explains that people are at a higher risk of developing a cardiovascular disease if they smoke, eat a diet that’s high in salt and low in veggies and fruits, drink a lot of alcohol, and are not physically active.
These habits can lead to high blood sugar levels, being overweight, obesity and hypertension. As a results, these conditions can also increase the risk of someone developing a serious case of CVD. One way to lessen or reduce the risks of developing a CVD is by lessening or reversing these risk factors.
But, researchers explain that they have noticed how the role of environmental factors have also played a big role in the risk of emerging CVDs.
What Are These Environmental Factors
Publication Medical News Today spoke with professor of medicine and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky, Prof. Aruni Bhatnagar, who happens to be an expert in cardiovascular diseases.
Although he was not a part of the recent review, he did explain that it is incredibly vital to consider environmental risk factors when it comes to CVDs.
He explained, “Because 70-80% of CVD and diabetes [cases] are due to environmental factors, we can significantly diminish the risk of these diseases only if we identify and understand the environmental factors that contribute to them.”
“Traditionally, we have focused on reduction of risk factors by behavior modification and lifestyle changes, but these approaches have limited efficacy. Moreover, individuals by themselves cannot readily avoid exposure to many […] environmental factors, such as air pollution, noise, and built environments. Therefore, a larger social effort is required to mitigate environmental risks,” he continued.
He also suggested, “Research on environmental causes of disease could thus help in reorienting and focusing prevention efforts and making them more effective.”
As for lead study author of the review, Prof. Thomas Munzel, who happens to be the director of cardiology at the University Medical Center Mainz of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, spoke with MNT as well. He shared that their new research is vital considering that most official guidance does not look into the effects of the environment on CVDs.
He even pointed out how the 2019 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (AHA) do not mention their environmental factors when it comes to their guidelines on the prevention of CVD.
Prof. Munzel and his colleagues identify that WHO’s Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 also doesn’t mention environmental factors either.
Prof. Bhatnagar also shares how policymakers usually overlook these environmental risk factors for CVDs due to need to have a cross-disciplinary approach when analyzing them.
He shared, “Environmental risk factors are multifactorial and hence difficult to study. Identifying and addressing these risks are mostly beyond the reach of the current medical establishment.”
“Evaluating and assessing these risks and developing interventions to mitigate them require[s] multidisciplinary teams comprising […] environmental engineers, toxicologists, cardiologists, […] sociologist[s], policymakers, and, most importantly, community stakeholders — teams that have been difficult to assemble and deploy,” he added.
Review from Experts
As a response to the lack of guidelines when it comes to CVDs and environmental risk, Prof. Munzel and his team chose to conduct a review of the current evidence.
What they explained is that environmental factors usually increase the risk of CVDs by increasing inflammation, stresshormone signaling, and oxidative stress. Prof. Munzel, alongside his study co-author Prof. Andreas Daiber, who happens to be the head of molecular cardiology at the University Medical Center Mainz, explained these links in another study.
They also identified four vital environmental factors that add to CVDs, which are explained in more detail below.
The first environmental factor that adds to an increased CVD risk is Noise Pollution. The researchers points out a comprehensive meta-analysis that indicate how ‘for every 10 decibels of increased road noise, the risk of developing ischemic heart disease increases by a factor of 1.08.’ The researchers believe that with the development of technologies that will aid in the reduction of noise pollution, while improving traffic management, could help lessen the effects of noise pollution.
The second environmental factor is Air Pollution. Researchers focus on former research that was done with regards to this. The study found that in the European Union, ‘there are approximately 592,000 excess deaths each year due to fine particulate matter and ozone pollution. Around 41% of these deaths are attributable to ischemic heart disease and stroke.’ Moreover, the researchers claim that one way to lessen air pollution is to lower the legally allowed emissions levels across the globe.
The third vital environmental factor is outdoor Light Pollution. What researchers explain is that light pollution has the ability to disrupt one’s circadian rhythm. When this happens, their risk of CVDs increases. They also explain that individual’s should turn off lightning at nighttime, as well as times when it is not essential.
The last, but definitely not the least vital, is Climate Change, which also includes global warming and increases the risk of CVDs. One particular examples is in areas where wildfires are likelier to occur, where air pollution is heightened as well. Moreover, Prof. Munzel and team point out particular research that shows how high and low temperatures caused by climate change can also increase the risk of CVD mortality.
In addition, the review’s authors also explain how they believe reduced carbon emissions, while introducing fines for carbon emissions, could help lessen the adverse effects of climate change all over the globe.
To further address the environmental factors that attribute to CVDs, Prof. Bhatnagar shares how researchers need to pinpoint the significance of these important environmental factors to policymakers in order to make a difference.
Prof. Bhatnagar told MNT, “First, relevant stakeholders need to understand and appreciate the magnitude of the problem.”
He added, “The medical community and public health investigators need to identify the most important environmental contributors and then provide clear, actionable approaches to governments. And urban planners [need] to implement evidence-based strategies to diminish environmental risks.”
He also explained that individuals should also take action to do their part. He said, “Individuals need to increase their awareness of the potential impact of environmental exposures — what chemicals and conditions in their communities and homes can increase their risk — then try and avoid such exposures. [This may include] avoiding going outdoors on days of high pollution and not using chemicals and household products that could be harmful.”
“Finally, a broader public consensus is needed to implement changes in policies and regulations,” he concluded.
Looking Towards Future Research
Prof. Bhatnagar shares that while the recent study by Prof. Munzel and his colleagues proves important, he believes scientists need to do much more.
He shared, “[M]uch additional research is needed to identify the relative risks of different exposures, how the effects of these exposures interact, how the effects of one exposure — [for example], air pollution — is modified by another — [for example], [the] built environment or noise — which populations are most vulnerable to such exposures, which specific pathways are affected by individual environmental factors, and what are the sources of these exposures.”
“A more comprehensive and holistic assessment of environmental conditions and exposures is needed both to understand and to minimize [the] environmental threat,” he added.
As for Prof. Bhatnagar, he argued, “The most important task is to understand and modify how climate change is affecting the environment and how these changes are impacting human health.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Munzel also agreed that more research into this topic needs to be done. He told MNT, “Research all over the place dealing with the environment has to be intensified, in particular with […] more funding from the governments.” And he also determined that “No pharmaceutical industries are interested in this topic.”
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