Runs with Cars

I live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the nearest running route to me is the East River Walk, where I do all my weekday runs. Unfortunately, this popular pathway lies right next to the FDR Drive, which actually is a highway, not a tiny a little drive. So, every time I go out there, I worry that I might be doing more harm than good by breathing car fumes.

I saw this paper while catching up on my running related reading today, which definitely did not help matters:

No exercise-induced increase in serum BDNF after cycling near a major traffic road
I. Bos, L. Jacobs, T.S. Nawrot, B. de Geus, R. Torfs, L. Int Panis, B. Degraeuwe, R. Meeusen.

One of the ways exercise improves brain function is through increased production of BDNF, a neurotrophic factor, i.e. a chemical that keeps brain cells alive (this handsome fella to the right). The researchers asked 38 volunteers to cycle in a clean room, which had minimum air pollutants; and near a busy highway, which.... well, you know. They then measured how much BDNF was circulating in their blood. They accept that this is not a perfect way to measure the amount of BDNF made in the brain, but it is an indicator. Measurements in the clean room were as expected: BDNF levels increased after exercise. Near the highway, on the other hand, BDNF levels stayed the same.

Even though the data shows only loss of benefits rather than damage, from exercising in polluted air, it is clear that something is not right (and after an hour of huffing and puffing I would like my BDNF please!). They don't speculate much about an underlying mechanism either. Obviously, this will be the subject of further study. (what is a limit for pollution for example. Since we can't do all our running in clean rooms)

For now, I think I am going to try to stay away from the FDR Drive more often, even if it means taking it to the treadmill. It isn't much of a running route these days anyway, with all the repairs going on. I looked for a way to follow air pollution measurements in the city, but most sources are for broad areas. I assume Central Park would have cleaner air, but I have no proof. If you know of a website that streams data from measurement stations, it would be much appreciated.