When he was 10 years old, John O’Connor was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, a condition that can affect blood flow to and from the left side of the heart. Today, the 23-year-old eats a meat-free diet, exercises regularly, and meditates to lower his stress and keep his heart healthy. But there’s a hidden heart-health risk factor that he says he doesn’t know much about: air pollution.
O’Connor lives in Philadelphia, which ranks No. 11 on the American Lung Association’s list of most polluted U.S. cities in terms of unhealthy levels of ozone. Emerging research suggests that simply breathing the air in big cities like Philly increases O’Connor’s risk of having additional heart problems and potentially compromises his recovery if he had a heart attack. Read More
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Heart disease
