Air pollution is a big question hanging in the Beijing air.

Is it so polluted it will be harmful to the athletes or worsen their performance?

There are many reason for athletes to be concerned about pollution exposure.  We think they are wise to limit their total exposure. According to recent reports and measurements, the pollution levels are somewhat improved as long as the weather cooperates. But it’s been hot and hazy, which worsens smog levels.  All in all, the levels are clearly toxic. The athletes, especially those will asthma and allergies, are concerned.

But why is it such a concern?

Well, here it is.  It’s a little technical and a little long-winded, but we though you might be curious anyway…

Even though there has been a major effort to reduce pollution, athletes will still be exposed to what is called PM 10 particulate pollution.  These tiny particles are known to have cardio pulmonary effects.  Exposure is linked to asthma and lung disease, heart disease, and even stroke and blood clotting problems.

Studies have shown that these particles can reach the deeper lung areas.  The smaller the particle, the deeper, and also the most oxidative damage.  But pollution exposure also sets off a complicated cascade of inflammation and regulatory factors.  Various cytokines and interlukins and kinases can become involved in addition to detoxification systems.

The lungs are, obviously, a major interactor with the environment.  And they have built in detoxification mechanisms to deal with that.  One of the things that they have are special cells called Clara cells that are rich in detoxification enzymes like Glutathione-S-transferase and Cytochrome P450 and the major antioxidant, glutathione.

Even though we are designed to cope with toxins, this system we have can become overloaded.  And that is the concern with pollution.  The bottom line is that it can all add up to oxidative stress and inflammation out of control.  Shortness of breath.  Asthma.  Air hunger.  Chest tightness.

Most of these athletes are young, and they are all in excellent physical condition.  At the top of their form.  So, their coping mechanisms are likely maximized.  But we also know that some of these systems vary from person to person genetically, so that some athletes may be more at risk than others.

For instance, various Glutathione-S-transferase enzymes can vary or even be absent in different people.  And there are other important detoxification enzymes that can vary as well, such as Super Oxide Dismutase, N-acetyl Transferase and different types of Cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Top athletes have superb ability to take in oxygen and use it in the mitochondria, the little power generators of our cells, to convert food to energy in the form of ATP.  And, of course althletes have a well developed cardiovascular system to deliver that oxygen to the mitochondria in various muscles.  All of the intricacies of how toxins and regulators and enzyme systems contribute to mitochondrial efficiency are still being worked out.

So, needless to say, if you are trying to coax your body into a world record performance, the last thing it needs to be dealing with are all of these nasty effects of pollution!

Luckily, there are some things the athletes can be doing to help out their detoxification systems.  Besides trying to avoid the pollution as much as possible, they can eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables and foods like the brassica vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbages).  They might even consider supplementing with glutathione precursors like N-Acetyl Cysteine  or undenatured whey.  Hopefully they will get plenty of sleep, drink filtered water and avoid foods with other potential toxins such as heavy metals like cadmium, mercury, arsenic and cobalt.

The air quality is a little better in Beijing than it was before the Olympics, but only when the weather cooperates, and it’s got a long ways to go.  That speaks to what can happen when we put our minds to clearing the air.  We hope that the Chinese will figure out a way to keep clearing the air long after the Olympics are over.

And, we wish all of the athletes good luck!

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