Katie Powell

BIOL-1090-403-Sp17

News Analysis #1

On March 14, 2017 an article entitled B Vitamins May Have Protective Effect Against
Air Pollution was published by the BBC. The article discussed a recent study that tested B
vitamins as a means of protection for people against the effects of air pollution. The blind study
was conducted with 10 healthy, adult participants. They were given a placebo and exposed to
clean air, then given a placebo and exposed to polluted air, and finally they were given a dose of
50 mg of vitamin B6, 1 mg of B12, and 2.5 mg of folic acid while being exposed to polluted air.
The researchers found that after 4 weeks the vitamin supplementation reduced the effects of the
pollutant PM2.5 by 28-76% (McGrath 2017). The researchers concluded that individual-level
prevention, along with environmental regulations, may be used to provide significant public
health benefits in places that have high levels of PM2.5 (Zhong, et al. 2017)
The BBC article and the primary source are very similar. The article offers more
explanation of the technical findings stated in the abstract of the study. It also goes into what
PM2.5 is exactly and how it affects the body. The study gave information on what method they
used to test the participants reactions to the pollution and the B vitamins. Both the article and the
study noted that more research needs to be undertaken.
The findings of this study could be very beneficial for many people, particularly those
who live in areas with highly polluted air and those susceptible to even lower amount of
pollution. It could give them a way to counteract the damaging effects of air pollution through a
relatively affordable and simple method of taking vitamin supplements.
There are 18 authors of the study. They are all associated with universities. If some of the
researchers were connected with a company that manufactures vitamins, for example, that would
make me a little wary of the legitimacy of the studys findings. I wouldnt necessarily assume
they were deliberately biased but it increases the possibility for them to consciously or
subconsciously let some bias creep into the study that might be beneficial to the company or for-
profit institution they work for. There werent any scientists that disagreed with their findings but
there were some that pointed out the limitations of the study, such as small sample size, and
cautioned on making too much of the conclusions until more research was done. The BBC article
included quotes from Carrie Breton, a professor at the University of Southern California. She
said that the finding of the study are promising but needs follow-up research in larger
populations (McGrath 2017). I searched but could not find another article or study that disagreed
with the conclusions found in this study.
I would say my views of this topic have been expanded somewhat by reading the article
and study. I know that air pollution has a negative impact on our health but I didnt know
anything about the PM2.5 pollutant. I learned that it can get lodged deep in the lungs and cause
various health issues (McGrath 2017). I also had never before considered something as simple as
vitamin supplements may be a way to protect people against air pollution. My appreciation for
the power and importance of vitamins was increased.
I believe the author of the BBC article did a good job of reporting on the topic and the
information in the study. He offered background information about PM2.5, what it is and how it
negatively affects people exposed to it. Having this information was important in understanding
the findings of the study.

References
McGrath, Matt. BBC. March 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-
environment-39231896 (accessed March 16, 2017).
Zhong, Jian, et al. 2017. "B vitamins attenuate the epigenetic effects of ambient fine
particles in a pilot human intervention trial." Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the USA, (accessed March 16 2017).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618545114.