During the opening days of the European Respiratory Society's annual congress in Amsterdam this past weekend, two new studies revealed some surprising results about breathing.

Researchers from the United Kingdom presented papers showing that biking to work may be more harmful to lungs than other forms of commuting, while a second team from Denmark argued that alcohol could limit the chance of contracting asthma.



The first study found that the lungs of bicycle commuters in London contain black carbon levels 2.3 times higher than pedestrian commuters. The report's abstract notes that inhalation of black carbon is associated with reduced lung function and heart disease.



"This was a pilot study involving just 10 individuals and an antecedent to a broader research project on the same topic that we're currently undertaking," said the study's co-author, Dr. Chinedu Nwokoro, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Bicycle commuters may face a hidden drawback on the way to work

"So far, the results of the larger study have been consistent with the preliminary findings we published."



Despite the small sample size, the report's authors assert that the probability that their observations occurred by chance is less than one percent. The researchers took samples from a lower airway cell in the ten healthy, non-smoking individuals who took part in the study.



Deeper and quicker breaths



Elevated black carbon levels could be "due to a number of factors including the fact that cyclists breathe more deeply and at a quicker rate than pedestrians while in close proximity to exhaust fumes, which could increase the number of airborne particles penetrating the lungs," Nwokoro said.



But it may not be time to lock up the bikes just yet given the limited scope of the findings published thus far, said Dr. Adrian Gillissen, Director of the Clinic of Lung and Bronchial Medicine in Kassel.



"From studies undertaken on miners, we have evidence that dust from coal really isn't all that damaging for lungs," Dr. Gillissen told Deutsche Welle.

"It's important to note that the question of whether inhaling soot at these levels does in fact have an impact on health remains unaddressed in this study," he added.



Pour another drink?





Not all alcohol is equal when it comes to asthma conditions

A second report published findings from a longitudinal study on asthma and alcohol intake on nearly 20,000 individuals and showed that those who drank one to six alcoholic beverages per week were at a reduced chance of developing asthma. Fewer than four percent of the moderate drinkers in that group contracted the condition.



In comparison, non-drinkers and those who drank very seldom were 1.4 times more likely to develop asthma, while heavy drinkers were at a 1.2 times greater risk of becoming asthmatic as adults.



The survey involved 19,349 twins between the ages of 12 and 41. All participants completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the eight-year study.





"In evaluating the data, we controlled for smoking, BMI, social status, age, sex and educational level," the report's main author, Sofie Lieberoth, told Deutsche Welle. However, the study did not control for exercise activities.



"While excessive alcohol intake can cause health problems, the findings of our study suggest a moderate intake of one to six units can reduce the risk of developing asthma," Lieberoth said.



Nonetheless, Dr. Gillissen urged caution when acting based on the findings of the report and pointed to other studies that have shown certain kinds of alcohol like champagne promote the production of histamines that can intensify or cause asthma attacks.



"This is an epidemiological study, and that makes it very difficult to draw conclusions for specific individuals," said Dr. Gillissen.



"I would certainly not advise people to drink in order to try to prevent asthma, and we should bear in mind that the 1.4 times higher risk in non-drinkers still leaves us with a very small figure," he added.



Author: Greg Wiser

Editor: Cyrus Farivar