Sea air can help fight cancer and high cholesterol, according to this research study

by Shirley Marie Bradby

February 11, 2019

Sea air can help fight cancer and high cholesterol, according to this research study
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For those who love the sea, they know well that it is beautiful in every season. Whether it is summer or winter, there is always a way to enjoy its benefits.

For example, with activities such as swimming, relaxing on the beach at the water's edge, or walking on the beach and letting your imagination travel beyond the horizon, where water and sky touch, camouflaging themselves as they merge together as one.

Moreover, especially when the sea is rough, it is possible to get the most benefit from being at the seaside. In fact, "sea air" is very salubrious - much more than you think. 

A case in point is a study by the University of Ghent and the Flemish Institute for the Sea (VLIZ) that has highlighted the benefits of sea air in the fight against cancer and cholesterol.

via Università di Gand

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 Ryan Loughlin/unsplash

Ryan Loughlin/unsplash

The researchers focused their attention on the positive effects of the so-called "sea spray", i.e., the sea water sprayed by the waves. It contains, in fact, many natural substances produced by algae and bacteria, which are good for our health.

Emmanuel Van Aacker, one of the scholars, explained that during the study, "we took samples of sea air and examined them in the laboratory, then we exposed human lung cancer cells to those samples of air and examined the effects on our genes, comparing them with the results of other scientific studies."

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Sea air can help fight cancer and high cholesterol, according to this research study - 2

It has emerged how sea air inhibits the effect of a gene that plays an important role in lung cancer development, as well as in controlling cholesterol.

The researchers then correlated this result with that of other previous studies that "have shown that lung cancer cells die and cholesterol decreases when we slow down this gene. New potential cancer therapies and next-generation cholesterol inhibitors are based on this principle, now that we know that sea air slows down the effect of this gene", said researcher Jana Asselman.

Therefore, if you are lucky enough to live not too far from the sea, we have given you an excellent reason to visit it more often, also and especially in winter. :)

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