Study Links Polluting Cooking Fuels to Higher Cognitive Impairment Risk in Karnataka

Quick Summary

• Study Overview: A new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia explores the link between polluting cooking fuels and cognitive impairment, focusing on rural India.
• Research Details: Conducted by IISc Bengaluru & University of chicago; sample size of 4,145 adults (aged 45+), with MRI analysis on 994 participants from Srinivaspura taluk, Kolar district, Karnataka.
• Key Findings:

– Polluting cooking fuel users show considerably lower cognitive scores (global cognition, visuospatial ability, executive functions).
– Female users exhibit reduced hippocampus volumes-a region linked to Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

• Mechanism: Harmful pollutants from cooking fuels cause inflammation and oxidative stress affecting brain health via pathways like crossing the blood-brain barrier.
• HAP Prevalence & Impact:

– Globally in India (2019): ~0.81M deaths attributed to Household Air Pollution (HAP).
– Karnataka stats (2019-20): ~30.7% rural households use unclean fuels; HAP-related DALYs higher than ambient pollution.

• Policy Insight: Study supports clean fuel adoption as air pollution is a perhaps modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment.

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!The Hindu.