The world health organization (WHO) announced recently the disturbing news that 1.3 million people die every year of heart attack caused by a somewhat surprising cause.

You’ve been told to eat healthy, exercise, reduce stress and lower cholesterol and high blood pressure to improve your heart health.
…but a new factor has nothing to do with that.

WHO’s warning was based on a new PLO’s medicine study where researchers released primary results from a 10-year ongoing multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis and air pollution.

During the study, researchers followed a group of 6,000 people, aged 45-84, all living in the six biggest and most polluted cities in the US. None of the study participants were suffering from heart conditions prior to the research.

[adrotate group=”5″]The results of this large study revealed the disturbing news for the ones exposed to the polluted air, as researchers confirmed that with time they developed thicker blood vessels and arteries more quickly than they would develop in areas with cleaner air.

At the beginning of the study investigators measured the thickness of the carotid artery and then followed up a few years later.
What they discovered was that the thickness of this important artery that supplies blood to the brain, neck and head was increased by 14 micrometers a year.

This important revelation proves that people who are exposed to high levels of air pollution have much higher risks of developing cardiovascular diseases like stroke and atherosclerosis.

The great news is that researchers did notice that when people moved away to the less polluted areas the impact of the pollution to cardiovascular health was dramatically reduced.

If you can’t change your place of living permanently into a less polluted environment, at least give yourself a small “clean air” vacation as often as possible. Organize a trip to the nearest forest, mountain or even a park. The serenity of nature and clean air has a tremendously positive impact to our overall health.

There are, of course, many other things you can do to improve your heart health. Here are a couple of options…

Follow this step-by-step plan to bring your cholesterol down to a healthy level in 30 days or less…

Or discover how 3 easy exercises drop blood pressure below 120/80 as soon as today…

But first, please share your thoughts in the comment area below.