Maybe you have applied a healthy lifestyle such as exercising regularly, not smoking and eating a healthy diet to maintain heart health. But there are little things around you that can cause heart damage, the air freshener.
The findings were based on studies conducted in Switzerland has long been associated with air pollution with lung and heart diseases that involve adults over the age of 50 years.
A total of 581 adults involved in the study were asked to complete a questionnaire based on the use of cleaning products, air fresheners, perfumes and other household products.
Then the participants underwent an electrocardiograms for 24 hours so the researchers can monitor the heart rate as a marker of cardiovascular health.
"People who use spray air freshener in the long term is most likely to show reduced heart rate variability which is often a sign of heart problems and heart damage," said Amar J. Mehta, ScD, MPH, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health as reported from Rodale
Mehta was not sure what components are contained in air fresheners can cause changes in heart rate. Perhaps the reason is air freshener materials can react with ozone, common indoor air pollutants, and to form other compounds that can harm the heart.
For example, materials such as air fresheners that give the smell of pine terpenes or citrus have been found to react with aldehydes to form ozone and toxic pollutants linked to heart disease and diabetes.
To eliminate the bad odor in the room, you can perform a simple alternative but more healthy such as:
1. Boil the orange peel
Instead of lemon-scented spray synthetic fragrances, better boil lemon peel, orange peel, or skin of any other fruit you like for 30 minutes to freshen the room.
Add some spice if you like such as cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.
2. Charcoal
Charcoal activated carbon is very nice nose piercing repel odors like the smell of garbage, litter boxes, and cigarette smoke.
You can use your small carbon filter designed to be placed in trash cans, refrigerators, or other smelly places.
3. Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds can magically absorb odors. Put the dry coffee grounds in a clean old sock and hang it in your closet to repel odors.
