Researchers of the VLIZ - Flanders Marine Institute, Ghent University&University of Antwerp have shown that bacteria in sea air have a beneficial effect on your health. So people who live less than 5 km from the sea are healthier and less stressed.
Unfortunately, only a small portion of the population has that privilege. But not to worry! yufo Benelux - which also uses benign bacteria - simply brings this healthy air into your home! So everyone can enjoy this wonderfully pure air, without having to descend to the sea.
Want to know more about this amazing health boost? Read along below!
For the first time, sea air has been shown to boost immunity and resistance to disease. Researchers from the VLIZ and the universities of Ghent and Antwerp treated human cell lines in the lab with aerosols from splashing sea water. This showed that bacteria and their endotoxins present in those mini droplets act on certain receptors and regulatory factors of our body. This suggests that regular exposure to sea air counteracts bodily responses of the body, such as inflammation.
It was already known that those who live within five kilometers of the sea are healthier and less stressed. This "coastal health effect" has also been demonstrated on our coast, and this both under normal conditions and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible explanations include the stress-reducing effect of the sea, the fact that this environment encourages social contact and affordable sports and play, and a lower degree of pollution.
However, this study examined the effect of the presence of marine bacteria and bioactive substances - present in sea air - on human cell cultures. This "biogenic hypothesis" states that regular exposure to bacteria, viruses, fungi and derived substances tempers pernicious bodily reactions - such as inflammation, diabetes, cancer. In other words, it strengthens our immune system. There is also a lot of micro life in the sea. Wave action makes seawater splash, resulting in droplets of 0.1-10 micrometers (marine aerosols).
Droplets that can reside in the air for a long time, travel long distances, and are inhaled by coastal residents and beach tourists. If those marine aerosols have a beneficial effect on our immunity, this could possibly explain why residents of the Italian coast were found to be better protected against COVID-19 than compatriots further inland. Previously, researchers at Ghent University also showed that lung cell cultures are less cancer prone when marine aerosols are administered in the lab.
The researchers worked with both naturally collected sea air and artificially produced marine aerosols. These experiments revealed a dose-effect relationship in terms of total bacteria and endotoxins. They did not examine the exact bacteria involved.
The study by Yunmeng Li and colleagues is published in "Science of The Total Environment" and is titled, "The immunostimulatory activity of sea spray aersols: bacteria and endotoxins activate TLR4, TLR2/6, NF-kB and IRF in human cells.
Bacteria in sea air boost immunity. Testerep magazine.
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