From cutting skin cancer risk in half to supporting the immune system, a diet rich in tomatoes and fruits imparts many health benefits. Now, researchers have found that these foods may restore lung function in ex-smokers and slow lung function decline in all adults.
A tomato-rich diet may slow smoking- and age-related lung function decline.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, conducted the study. The findings were published in the European Respiratory Journal.
Around 36.5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the practice causes more than 480,000 deaths per year.
Every year, around 55.4 percent of all adult smokers attempt to quit smoking. Smoking cessation dramatically reduces the risk of disease, including lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer, as well as early death.
Lung health after stopping smoking has been a topic that has garnered interest among ex-smokers and health professionals alike.
The lungs begin to heal as soon as smoking is ceased. While the response is quick to start, lung improvement is incremental and can take many years. Furthermore, quitting smoking alone does not entirely erase the risk of developing a smoking-related lung disease.
Another factor to consider is that the lungs are fully mature by 20–25 years of age. After 35 years old, lung function begins to decline, and breathing becomes gradually more difficult.
In a nutshell: the diaphragm weakens, which decreases the ability to breathe in and out; muscles that keep airways open lose elasticity; alveoli lose their shape; and the area of the brain that regulates breathing sends weaker signals to the lungs.
Previous research published by The BMJ has demonstrated that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of COPD in current and former smokers. In fact, each extra daily serving was linked to a 4–8 percent lower risk.
The new study goes one step further to suggest that consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables — particularly tomatoes and apples — slows down the decline in lung function among ex-smokers over the duration of 10 years.
Slower lung deterioration among all adults
Compared with adults who consumed fewer than one serving of fruit or one tomato per day, those who ate more than three portions of fruit or more than two tomatoes experienced slower lung function decline.
The scientists asked questions about other dietary and processed sources of fruits and vegetables, such as tomato sauce, but the protective effect was only apparent among those who ate fresh fruits and vegetables.
This finding suggests that there may be particular components in fresh tomatoes and apples that help to repair the lung damage that results from smoking.