Research says exposure to gas cookers can lower blood pressure and partially offset the adverse cardiovascular effects of air pollution.

The team from King's College London found that the period next to a gas cooker increased nitrogen dioxide levels in the air 10-fold and subsequently lowered blood pressure by 5 mm Hg from 45 minutes onwards.

The study also found that blood levels of the substance nitrite increased by 15% after 15 minutes.

The mechanism by which nitrogen dioxide lowers blood pressure appears to be through linking into the same pathway as dietary nitrate (found in green leafy vegetables and beetroot): both result in an increase in blood nitrite levels.