Scientists say a breath of fresh air is good for your health
of ConsumerAffairs
Consumers might spend a lot of money on vitamin supplements to make sure theyre getting plenty of nutrients. A new study says all they have to do is go into nature and take a few deep breaths of fresh air.
In a new article published in Advances in Nutrition, health scientists say there is strong evidence that humans can absorb some nutrients from clean air. The inhaled nutrients are called aeronutrients while nutrients that are swallowed and digested are called gastronutrients.
The authors suggest that breaths of fresh air supplement nutrition from diets and can provide nutrients like manganese, zinc and iodine, as well as some vitamins.
The study suggests that aeronutrients are more plentiful than gastronutrients because you are constantly breathing, whereas you might eat only three times a day. The authors say the average person breathes in about 9,000 liters of air a day and hundreds of millions of liters over a lifetime.
Aeronutrients enter the body when they are absorbed through networks of blood vessels in the nose, mouth and lungs. In fact, the human lungs can absorb larger molecules than the stomach. These molecules in the air are absorbed into the blood, and more importantly, the brain.
Inhaled drugs react much faster
The scientists point out that drugs that are inhaled enter the body at lightning speed and their effects are felt quickly. They have far greater impact at lower doses than drugs that are swallowed.
Drugs that can be inhaled will enter the body within seconds. They are effective at far lower concentrations than would be needed if they were being consumed by mouth.
In comparison, the gut breaks substances down into their smallest parts with enzymes and acids. Once these enter the bloodstream, they are metabolized and detoxified by the liver.
A lot of this information has been known in scientific circles for years. Among the oldest research is experiments that showed aerosolized vitamin B12 can treat vitamin B12 deficiency much better than taking supplements.
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Posted: 2024-11-21 02:59:26
