'Women Face Higher Risk Of Cognitive Decline From Polluting Cooking Fuels'

Women exposed to household air pollution from cooking fuels may be at a higher risk of cognitive impairment than men, a study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has found.

- Press Trust Of India

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal, analysed MRI brain scans of ageing adults in the rural town of Srinivaspura in Karnataka, revealing that women might be at a higher risk of experiencing adverse effects in the brain.

A team, which also included researchers from the University of Chicago, US, explained that burning solid fuels for cooking, especially in poorly ventilated spaces, can release air pollutants, such as oxides of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and heavy metals, along with suspended particulate matter.

The pollutants have been shown to affect the brain through varied mechanisms, primary ones being inflammation and oxidative stress, they said.