Air Pollution is Shrinking your Brain. Here’s how to fix it.

I’m Fascinated by Cognition

In an earlier essay, I described an inverse correlation between chronic inflammation and Brain health. I looked at studies showing how exercise, fasting, sleep, and food alter BDNF levels.

Short for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, BDNF is a protein that builds new neurons and synapses in the hippocampus, cortex, and forebrain.

Of all the factors I checked, the most profound impact was exercise. Exercise increases BDNF levels by 2–3x compared to resting. And it’s not just about growing new neurons.

BDNF is a key mediator of exercise-induced benefits on the brain. It influences learning and memory, plays a role in neuronal plasticity, and it has antidepressant effects. And you can triple it for free?

I was even more excited to get on my bike and go for a sprint, eager to grow a brain…

Then the fires happened.

I thought about the air and wondered when it would be clean enough to reap benefits from outdoor exercise again. I started reading and found a link between…