Key Takeaways

Air pollution can undercut the health benefits of exercise

People who regularly exercise have a 30% lower risk of death

However, this benefit falls by half if they live in a place with heavy air pollution

MONDAY, Dec. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Air pollution can undermine some of the health benefits active folks expect to derive from regular exercise , a new study says.

The protective effect exercise should have on people’s risk of death was cut by half among those living in areas with heavy air pollution, researchers reported recently in the journal BMC Medicine .

“Our study shows that toxic air can to some extent block the benefits of exercise, although not eliminate them,” researcher Andrew Steptoe , a professor of psychology and epidemiology with University

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