Food and health are closely linked, some foods are even medicines. Like apples and tomatoes as far as the lungs are concerned. A study suggests that their consumption would help former smokers protect their lungs.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” says the adage, it keeps the pulmonologist away especially when you are a smoker. A study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that consuming apples and tomatoes improves the lungs of former smokers.
It would also help slow the aging of lung function. From the age of 30, the lungs begin to age, the consequences vary according to the individual and according to their state of health. The antioxidant nutrient components of certain foods such as apples or tomatoes are said to be beneficial for the lungs of former smokers.
More than two tomatoes or three apples per day
Researchers studied the diets and lung function of more than 650 adults in 2002. Lung tests were done ten years later. The lungs of those who ate more than two tomatoes or three servings of fruit a day aged less quickly.
The main author of this research, published in the European Respiratory Journal, Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, explains that: “Study shows that diet can help repair damage caused by tobacco in former smokers.”
An element to fight respiratory diseases
In fact, the results show that those who ate apples or tomatoes regularly had a slower decline in lung function over a ten-year period. Scientists have also studied the consequences of consuming products containing fruits and vegetables such as tomato sauces or ready-made meals, but the positive effects have only been observed in the case of consumption of fresh fruits or vegetables.
For the researchers, these results show that a change in diet, by increasing the proportion of foods rich in antioxidants, could help fight respiratory diseases.
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