A Fruit-Filled Diet May Mitigate Lung Damage from Pollution

The benefits of fruits recognized since Antiquity

The slogan “For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day” has been appearing on our screens for many years. However, knowledge of the beneficial effects of fruits dates back to ancient times.

Centuries later, scientists have demonstrated that regular consumption of fruits contributes to good cellular functioning and physiological regulation, due to their content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibers and even water.

Eat fruit to protect our lungs from air pollution?

Recently, researchers from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, shared results at the European Society of Respirology Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which show that fruit consumption could help reduce the harmful impact of air pollution on the lungs.

Based on data from 200,000 participants of the UK Biobankthe research team, led by Pimpika Kaewsri, doctoral student at the Center for Environmental Health and Sustainability at the University of Leicester, analyzed the influence of the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains on lung function (FEV) in relation to exposure to fine particles (PM2.5), particularly from industrial pollution and automobile emissions.

The results show that for each 5 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5, women consuming little fruit had an average reduction of 78.1 ml in FEV, while those consuming more had a smaller reduction, of 57.5 ml. This suggests that eating more fruit could mitigate the negative effects of pollution on the lungs.

A benefit from the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories of fruits

“Our study confirmed that a healthy diet is associated with better lung function in both men and women, independent of exposure to air pollution”declared Pimpika Kaewsri, in comments reported by SciTechDaily.

To understand why the researchers obtained such results, we need to look at the composition of the fruits in a little more detail. Fruits are naturally composed of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances.

These could help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation caused by fine particles, thus possibly limiting some of the negative impacts of air pollution on lung health, according to the study.European Lung Foundation.

Source: SciTechDaily