Physical Exercise and Pollution: Cardiorrespiratory, Cerebral and Molecular Aspects.

Modern society increasingly seeks healthy life style, and regular physical activity is considered one of the main factors that improve the quality of life. The evidence shows that the aerobic physical training in controlled environments benefit various aspects of human health, including cognition in the elderly population. However, when exercise is performed in a polluted environment, the individual is subjected to grater exposure to pollutants due to increased ventilation (breathing). It is well known that inhaled pollutants can cause oxidative modification in biomolecules and oxidative stress is a cause of diverse diseases. This scenario raises important questions: the deleterious effects of pollution can abolish the beneficial effects of exercise? This issue is currently relevant given the increasing level of air pollution in large urban centers such as Sao Paulo city and at the same time, outdoor physical activity in public places is largely stimulated by public organizations, particularly for elderly. Thus this multidisciplinary project aims to investigate the deleterious effects of urban air pollution in elderly people who practice aerobic physical exercise outdoors in Sao Paulo and compare with those who practice in Laboratory. This study can provide important knowledge for public health and welfare of the population.