A new study suggests that eating fruit could protect the lungs.
Researchers from the University of Leicester in the U.K. discovered that eating a high intake of fruit may reduce the effects of air pollution on lung function.
The findings were presented this month at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam.
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More than 90% of the global population is exposed to air pollution levels that "exceed WHO guidelines," researcher Pimpika Kaewsri shared during the presentation, according to a press release.
"Ample research shows that exposure to higher air pollution levels is associated with reduced lung function," Kaewsri said.
Additional research has linked a healthy diet, which includes fruits and vegetables, with better lung function.
"We wanted to explore whether a healthy diet or specific food groups could modify or partly mitigate the known adverse effects of air pollution on lung function," Kaewsri said.
The study analyzed U.K. Biobank data from about 200,000 participants and compared dietary patterns — including intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains — with lung function.
The researchers also factored in exposure to air pollution in the form of fine particle matter from sources including vehicle exhaust and industrial processes. Age, height and socioeconomic status were also considered.
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In the low fruit intake group, there was a 78.1-milliliter reduction in lung function as air pollution exposure increased.
For women in the high fruit intake group, lung function was only reduced by 57.5 milliliters.
While a healthy diet was linked to better lung function in both men and women regardless of air pollution exposure, women in particular who consumed four portions of fruit or more per day appeared to have smaller reductions in lung function compared to those who consumed less fruit, Kaewsri commented.
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Men consumed less fruit in general, according to the study, which could explain why the "potential protective effect" was only observed in women.
This effect could be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that are "naturally present" in fruit, according to Kaewsri.
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"These compounds could help mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation caused by fine particles, potentially offsetting some of the harmful effects of air pollution on lung function," she said.
The researchers plan to extend their work to explore how diet can influence changes in lung function over time.
Professor Sara De Matteis, chair of the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on occupational and environmental health at the University of Turin, Italy, commented that this study "confirms the potential respiratory health benefits of a healthy diet, especially rich in fresh fruit intake," according to the release.
"However, access to a healthy diet is not equally distributed in the population and, even if the authors adjusted for socio-economic status, some residual confounding cannot be ruled out," added De Matteis, who was not involved in the study.
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