US EditionLong-Term Exposure to Polluted Air Weakens the Health Benefits of Exercise
Long-term exposure to PM2.5 above 25 µg/m³ halves exercise mortality benefits, affecting nearly half the global population, with further weakening above 35 µg/m³, researchers say.
- On November 27, 2025, an international pooled analysis found long-term exposure to fine particulate pollution weakens exercise's mortality benefits in more than 1.5 million adults across the UK, Taiwan, China, Denmark and the United States.
- PM2.5 exposure undermined benefits when yearly average PM2.5 reached 25 µg/m3, weakening exercise gains further above 35 µg/m3 and reducing cancer-related protection.
- Pooling data revealed that people meeting the exercise threshold experienced a 30% lower risk of death overall, but this fell to 12–15% for those exposed to high fine-particle pollution in seven studies pooled, three unpublished, three re‑analysed individually.
- Nearly half of people worldwide live where 46% of the world's population face PM2.5 above 25 µg/m3, while the United Kingdom averages 10 µg/m3 with winter spikes exceeding 25 µg/m3.
- The study team noted several caveats including reliance on high-income countries data, missing indoor air quality and participants' diets, and advised checking air quality or easing exercise intensity on polluted days.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Long-term exposure to polluted air weakens the health benefits of exercise
Long-term exposure to toxic air can substantially weaken the health benefits of regular exercise, suggests a new study by an international team including UCL (University College London) researchers.
Polluted air quietly erases the benefits of exercise
Long-term inhalation of toxic air appears to dull the protective power of regular workouts, according to a massive global study spanning more than a decade and over a million adults. While exercise still helps people live longer, its benefits shrink dramatically in regions with heavy fine particle pollution—especially above key PM2.5 thresholds common in many parts of the world. The researchers emphasize that outdoor activity shouldn’t stop, but…
Does long-term exposure to toxic air undermine the effects of exercise?
New research suggests exposure to PM2.5 can reduce the health benefits of exercise; we find out how.Living in areas with high levels of PM2.5 could reduce the protective health effects of exercise. Image: Adobe.The protective benefits of regular exercise can be reduced by long-term exposure to toxic air say researchers studying air pollution.For over a decade, an international team of researchers has been tracking the health of more than 1.5 mil…
The prolonged exposure to pollution can reduce the health benefits provided by the regular physical exercise, suggests a new study carried out by an international team, including researchers from the UCL (University College London). The study, published in the BMC Medicine magazine, analyzed more than 1.5 million adults in more than a decade in countries such as the United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Denmark and the United States. The protective eff…
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