The increasing air pollution has now started causing serious damage not only to the lungs but also to the liver. This has been revealed in a recent research.

There have been constant warnings about air pollution, but recent research has revealed another shocking thing. Till now it was believed that the smoke and pollution from vehicles have the greatest impact on the lungs, but now experts say that it is also having a serious impact on the liver. Research has found that just 10 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles can have a negative effect on the health of the liver.

Fatty liver (also known as hepatic steatosis) has become a common problem around the world. It occurs when too much fat gets accumulated in the liver cells. Earlier research suggests that this problem is caused by poor diet, lack of exercise and excessive consumption of alcohol. But now new research has shown that air pollution can also be a major cause of this.

According to Professor Hui Chen of the University of Technology Sydney, people consider air pollution to be harmful only for the lungs, but it also affects the liver. When we breathe polluted air, very small PM 2.5 particles reach the blood through our lungs. Since the liver's job is to clean the blood, it accumulates these toxic elements. These include heavy metals like arsenic, lead, nickel and zinc.

How the study was done:

In this study, scientists exposed mice to 10 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles every day and observed the changes in their liver after 4, 8 and 12 weeks. No major changes were seen for the first 4 to 8 weeks, but after 12 weeks, the liver's functioning started to deteriorate. Researchers found that 64 functional proteins in the liver were affected, many of which were associated with fatty liver and immune system disorders. Air pollution caused more immune cells to accumulate in the liver, which increased inflammation and caused more scar tissue to form. Apart from this, the amount of harmful fats like triglycerides, diacylglycerols and ceramides also increased in the liver, which can be harmful to health.

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