A new study has highlighted the importance of an antioxidant-rich balanced diet for neutralising adverse health effects of air pollution exposure to some extent in Indian children under five. The study was published in Frontiers in Public Health on May 9.
Exposure to air pollution (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less -PM2.5) can result in acute respiratory illness (ARI) and anaemia in children. A team of researchers from St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, IIT Delhi and Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, New Delhi, investigated if antioxidant nutrient intakes could mitigate the impact of PM2.5 on child health outcomes in India.
The researchers studied 2,08,782 children with valid ARI and 1,97,289 children with valid hemoglobin measurements. The prevalence of ARI and anaemia were 2.8% and 57.6% respectively. Acute respiratory infections and anaemia are major contributors to childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Children are highly susceptible to these conditions due to their developing immune systems and higher metabolic needs.
Ambient and household air pollution
Anura Kurpad, Professor of Physiology and Nutrition at St John’s Medical College, said emerging evidence highlights ambient and household air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter, as a critical environmental risk factor for both ARI and anaemia in children. “According to the 2023 World Health Statistics, ARI stands as the leading cause of childhood mortality among all infectious diseases. Exposure to PM2.5 has also been shown to increase the risk of anaemia among children,” said Prof Kurpad, who is one of the authors.
The researchers triangulated satellite-derived PM2.5 exposure data at the primary sampling unit level, with ARI and anaemia prevalence data from national district-level survey, and antioxidant nutrient intakes from household food expenditure survey. Logistic mixed effects regression model was used to estimate the effect of PM2.5 at different levels of nutrient intake.
The study found that higher intake of certain antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins A, C and D, as well as minerals like zinc and selenium lowered the risk of ARI associated with high PM 2.5 exposure. Higher intakes of these nutrients could similarly lower the risk of anaemia.
“When translating these nutrients to foods, similar benefits were observed with daily consumption of small amounts of fruits and vegetables. This highlights the potential of increasing dietary diversity with more fruit and vegetable intake, in reducing the adversity of air pollution exposure in children,” said Prof Kurpad.
Qualitative evidence
The researchers concluded that the findings from this study should be treated as qualitative evidence of potential moderation of the air pollution and health association by antioxidants and antioxidant rich food groups.
“These results highlight the potential of dietary strategies in mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution. However, the evidence now needs validation by community-based invention studies or randomised control trials with select antioxidants. While long-term solutions must focus on reducing the root causes of air pollution, such structural changes may take time, especially in developing countries like India. In this context, food-based approaches – particularly increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables—may offer a feasible and complementary pathway to protect vulnerable populations,” the study stated.
Published – May 16, 2025 01:16 am IST