Quit Smoking? Eat Apples And Tomatoes To Help Repair Your Lungs

A new study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has shown a link between better lung health and consumption of apples and tomatoes. They found that people who’ve been smokers in their past have a slower natural decline in lung function since their diet was rich in foods like tomatoes and apples.

The Lung Repairing Fruits

The team of researchers has found that adults who consumed more than two tomatoes a day on an average or at least more than three portions of fresh fruit daily had a slower decline in lung function. This was in comparison to adults who consumed less than one tomato or less than one portion of fruits a day. The researchers also found that consuming processed form of these fruits like eating ketchup wasn’t as effective as compared to fresh fruit consumption.

“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,” says Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, assistant professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health and the study’s lead author while talking to Science Daily. “The findings support the need for dietary recommendations, especially for people at risk of developing respiratory diseases such as COPD.”

“Lung function starts to decline at around age 30 at variable speed depending on the general and specific health of individuals,” explains Garcia-Larsen to Science Daily. “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.