Fruit and vegetable-rich diet can reduce lung disease risk in smokers | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Fruit and vegetable-rich diet can reduce lung disease risk in smokers

London | ByIANS
Feb 23, 2017 03:02 PM IST

Smoking is the primary risk factor for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is set to become the third leading cause of death worldwide, according to World Health Organisation.

Consuming five or more daily servings of diet rich in fruit such as apples or pears and green leafy vegetables may significantly lower the risk of developing chronic lung disease in both former and current smokers, finds a research.

While apples, pears, green leafy vegetables and peppers seemed to exert the strongest influence and depress the risk, no such associations were found of eating berry fruits, bananas, citrus fruits, cruciferous and root vegetables, tomatoes, onions, garlic or green peas,(Shutterstock)
While apples, pears, green leafy vegetables and peppers seemed to exert the strongest influence and depress the risk, no such associations were found of eating berry fruits, bananas, citrus fruits, cruciferous and root vegetables, tomatoes, onions, garlic or green peas,(Shutterstock)

Smoking is the primary risk factor for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is set to become the third leading cause of death worldwide, according to World Health Organisation.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The findings, published online in the journal Thorax, showed that people who ate five or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day were, respectively, 40% and 34%, less likely to develop COPD -- respiratory condition that narrows the airways, which include bronchitis and emphysema.

Each additional serving was associated with a 4%lower risk of COPD in former smokers and an eight per cent lower risk in current smokers.


As oxidative tissue stress and inflammation may be involved in COPD development, and smoking is a potent trigger of these processes, the antioxidants abundant in fruit and vegetables may curb their impact, suggest the researchers,” Joanna Kaluza from Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland.

On the other hand, both current and former smokers eating fewer than two daily portions were, respectively, 13.5 times and six times more likely to develop COPD.

While apples, pears, green leafy vegetables and peppers seemed to exert the strongest influence and depress the risk, no such associations were found of eating berry fruits, bananas, citrus fruits, cruciferous and root vegetables, tomatoes, onions, garlic or green peas, Kaluza added.

For the study, the team tracked the respiratory health of more than 44,000 Swedish men born between 1918 and 1952 and aged between 45 and 79 for 13 years up to the end of 2012.

Oscars 2024: Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On