Tomatoes and Apples Could Help Repair Lung Damage in Ex-Smokers

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Smoking has been a pleasurable activity for so many people all over the world; however, when it comes to the addiction of the habit, it does arrive with a full baggage of health risk.

Overtime, people who have been chain-smokers have found it difficult to quit on their own and return to their previous health status quo, before the addiction.

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Very few people have been able to fight the addiction to chronic smoking, without rehabilitation and extra medical assistance.

The smoking habit also comes with so many side-effects and long term health risks to parts of the body. And one of the most disturbing side-effects of smoking has been the damaging effect it has on the lungs, much later.

But despite this, there seems to be a sense of hope for people who have suffered lung damage over time due to smoking, according to a research paper which is part of the Ageing Lungs in European Cohorts (ALEC) Study, led by Imperial College London and funded by the European Commission.

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The Research

The study goes to suggest that damaged lungs from smoking can be remedied and a slower natural decline of the lungs can be induced by consuming certain food substances.

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The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study discovered that the natural decline in lung function was slower over a period of 10-years among ex-smokers who consumed a diet high in tomatoes and fruits like apple. The result of the study suggested that components in those foods possess so abilities that may aid the restoration of damaged lungs due to smoking.

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According to the research, adults who ate, on the average, more than two tomatoes or more than three portions of fresh fruits on the average per day, experienced a slower decline in lung activity, as compared to those who consumed less than one tomato per day or less than one portion of fruit per day.

Other dietary sources like dishes and processed foods which consist of vegetables (like tomato sauce) and fruits were considered for the research. But the main protective effect was observed only in the fresh fruit and vegetables.

The major thesis from the research was the discovery that there was a slower decline in the function of the lung among adults with the highest rate of consumption of tomatoes; in both those who had never smoked and those who had stopped their smoking habit.

Damage to the lung and poor function of the lung has been associated with various disease mortality including heart disease, lung cancer and the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health, Vanessa Garcia-Larsen stated that;

“This study shows that diet might help repair lung damage in people who have stopped smoking. It also suggests that a diet rich in fruits can slow down the lung’s natural aging process even if you have never smoked.”

“The findings support the need for dietary recommendations, especially for people at risk of developing respiratory diseases such as COPD.”

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Actual Field Experimentation

The researchers studied over 650 adults in 2002, and assessed their diet and lung function, for the study. Then 10–years later a repeat of the lung function tests on the same group was done.

_{Flowchart showing participants included in the present study in European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) II and ECRHS III surveys}

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The participants spanning three different European countries comprising of Norway, United Kingdom and Germany, underwent a procedure for measuring the capacity of the lungs to inhale oxygen, called “spirometry”. They also completed questionnaires on their overall nutritional intake and diets.
The spirometry test collates two standard measurements of lung function;

• Forced Exhaled Volume in one second (FEV1): This measures the volume of air a person can expel in one second, from their lungs, and;
• Forced vital capacity (FVC) is the total amount of air a person can inhale in six seconds of the FEV test.

Vanessa Garcia-Larsen also explained that;

“Lung function starts to decline at around age 30 at variable speed depending on the general and specific health of individuals. Our study suggests that eating more fruits on a regular basis can help attenuate the decline as people age, and might even help repair damage caused by smoking. Diet could become one way of combating rising diagnosis of COPD around the world.”

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Conclusion

The study took into consideration, factors such as height, sex, age, body mass index (which indicates obesity), physical activity, total energy intake, and socio-economic status.

The result was quite striking especially for former smokers. It was noticed that former smokers who consumed diets high in tomatoes and fruits experienced an 80 ml slower decline of lung function in their body over the 10-year period of the study.

The result clearly suggested that the nutrients in their diets aided the repair of the damage done to their lungs by smoking.

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Study: Paper

Reference:

• John Hopkins Sch. of Health
• Nutrition Review
• Science Daily
• Euro Respiratory Journal

Further Reading:

• FEV and FVC
• Tomatoes repairs lung damage
• Diet and Health
• Live Well
• Health Day

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