Study suggests toxins released from burning fuel could damage arteries
By Lucy Quinton
Consumers living in heavily congested areas are more likely to suffer heart damage, researchers have discovered.
A new French study revealed that tiny particles in car exhaust fumes may be damaging because chemicals released from burning fuel could lead to heart disease and blocked arteries.
John Incardona, researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said chemicals dubbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are found in oil are toxic to animals' hearts.
He added that the latest data suggested PAHs levels present in burning oil were high enough to cause problems for humans too, as they were likely to be toxic to the human heart and should be considered prime suspects for the adverse health effects of urban air.
Another unrelated study has revealed that statins can help to prevent atrial fibrillation, which occurs in older patients.
Researchers at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Trousseau in Tours, France, found that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs could help reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, which causes abnormal heart rhythm, by as much as 61%. However, they said it was still too early to consider prescribing the drugs to all patients with a history of the condition.
The study was completed after clinical observational and experimental studies suggested that the use of statins could protect against the condition. The findings revealed that the use of statins was significantly associated with a decreased risk of the condition.
Emma Broadbent, spokesperson at Norwich Union, said that in relation to premiums, such findings will always be taken into account as long as they are proven to be accurate.
