Essential Nutrients Often Overlooked: The Air We Breathe
Inhaled Nutrients, or 'Aeronutrients,' Could Boost Health Beyond Air Quality
As we breathe in the refreshing air of nature, we may be absorbing more than just fresh oxygen. A newly proposed concept suggests that certain essential nutrients can be inhaled, or absorbed through our respiratory system, supplementing our diet. This intriguing idea, as presented in a perspective article published in Advances in Nutrition, sheds light on the potential health benefits of a breathing supplement.
In the study, researchers coined the term "aeronutrients" to distinguish these inhaled nutrients from those absorbed by the gut, known as "gastronutrients." The proposed aeronutrients include essential elements like iodine, zinc, and manganese, as well as some vitamins.
At first glance, the idea might seem surprising. After all, most of us associate nutrients with our diet, not the air we breathe. Nevertheless, the authors argue that breathing supplies our bodies with a steady stream of essential components, albeit in small quantities.
Our daily breathing intake amounts to approximately 9,000 liters of air and a staggering 438 million liters over a lifetime, making our exposure to airborne nutrients substantial over time. Despite extensive research on air pollution and its harmful effects, little attention has been paid to potential benefits, mainly due to the minute quantities of nutrients found in a single breath.
Cultures for millennia have valued the health benefits of nature and fresh air. This research provides a scientific backing for age-old beliefs. Oxygen, though not typically considered a nutrient, is technically a chemical substance required by the body to sustain basic functions.
In addition to oxygen, aeronutrients enter the body via networks of tiny blood vessels in the nose, lungs, olfactory epithelium, and oropharynx. The lungs, in fact, can absorb far larger molecules than the gut, allowing for efficient transfer of many nutrients.
The immediate absorption of inhaled substances like certain drugs demonstrates the lungs' ability to bypass the complex digestive process the gut employs. The gut, while effective in breaking down starches, sugars, and amino acids, can struggle with certain classes of drugs.
Research from the 1960s and more recent studies have shown evidence of airborne nutrients being effectively absorbed. A notable example involves iodine, an essential nutrient for thyroid function and brain development. Laundry workers exposed to iodine in the air were found to have higher iodine levels in their blood and urine, suggesting the potential health benefits of airborne iodine.
This study and others like it highlight the need for further investigation to understand the role of aeronutrients in human health. More research is needed to identify other beneficial components of air, examine the Safety of these aeronutrients, and determine their contribution to the diet.
Flavia Fayet-Moore, Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, and Stephen R. Robinson, Professor in Psychology at RMIT University, authored the groundbreaking article. The research has been republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
The possibility of aeronutrients suggests a new frontier in nutrition. With significant potential for enhancing health and reducing deficiencies, aeronutrients may one day play a role in nutrition guidelines, recommending a balance between a healthy diet and adequate exposure to nature. As our understanding of aeronutrients grows, we may find ourselves redefining the concept of nutrition to include the air we breathe.
In the realm of health-and-wellness and science, aeronutrients, or inhaled nutrients, are being explored as potential supplements to our traditional diet. These aeronutrients, such as essential elements like iodine, zinc, manganese, and some vitamins, could feasibly contribute to our health beyond what we usually associate with air quality.
The researchers in this field argue that breathing supplies our bodies with a steady stream of essential components, albeit in small quantities, implying that the air we breathe could potentially be a source of health-benefitting nutrients.
