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Air Pollution Undermines Health Benefits Of Exercise, Evidence Says

December 8, 2025

Air pollution can undermine some of the health benefits active folks expect to derive from regular exercise, a new study says.

The protective effect exercise should have on people’s risk of death was cut by half among those living in areas with heavy air pollution, researchers reported recently in the journal BMC Medicine.

“Our study shows that toxic air can to some extent block the benefits of exercise, although not eliminate them,” researcher Andrew Steptoe, a professor of psychology and epidemiology with University College London, said in a news release. HealthDay