7 Foods to protect the lungs

Diseases such as lung cancer, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma can limit your ability to breathe oxygen. Oxygen itself is needed by every cell and tissue of the body to function optimally. For this reason, just like other parts of the body, keeping the lungs healthy is the main asset, one of which is by eating nutrient dense foods.

What foods are good for lung health?

The following is a list of nutrient-rich foods that are beneficial for maintaining lung health:

1. Carrots

Carrots are one of the healthiest foods for the lungs because they contain carotenoids which can reduce oxidative stress.

These benefits of cartenoids can prevent lung cancer and improve the capacity of the lungs to breathe, especially in people who have asthma. One type of carotenoids namely lycopene it is even known to reduce inflammation of the respiratory tract.

In addition, the beta-carotene in carrots, which the body converts into vitamin A, can reduce the recurrence of exercise-induced asthma.

Apart from carrots, carotenoids can also be found in spinach, kale, tomatoes, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes.

2. Apples

One of the fruits that is useful in maintaining lung health is apples. This fruit contains a lot of vitamin C which is closely related to the nutrition to ward off colds and colds.

Vitamin C is a good nutrient for lung health because it prevents the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and supports its management. COPD is a disease that includes a variety of lung disorders, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Vitamin C is also reported to prevent and control asthma symptoms. Vitamin C intake during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of wheezing (wheezing) in early childhood.

Apart from apples, you can also get these nutrients for lung health from fruits such as oranges, yellow peppers, papaya, guava, kiwi, and mango.

Vitamin C is also found in ginger. This natural ingredient is warming so it can thin out phlegm. Therefore, it can be used as a natural cough medicine for cough with phlegm.

3. Garlic

The benefits of garlic as a healthy food for the lungs is to increase the smooth flow of blood to the lungs so that you can breathe better.

This is because garlic is composed of several minerals such as selenium and alisin which can protect the lungs from respiratory problems.

Apart from these two minerals, other minerals such as magnesium can relax the muscles around the bronchi of the lungs so that they keep the airways open due to bronchial constriction. Well, this narrowing of the bronchi is a condition that triggers an asthma attack.

This is associated with lowering the risk of recurrence of asthma in children who increase their intake of magnesium, calcium, selenium and potassium from fresh foods.

Apart from garlic, you can get minerals as nutrients for lung health from green vegetables, nuts and seeds, wheat, beef and chicken, fish, and eggs.

4. Nuts

Nuts are included in healthy foods for the lungs because they contain abundant vitamin E.

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) is a useful source of antioxidants to help slow down aging. However, vitamin E nutrition is believed to be useful for lung health because it can overcome the problem of wheezing and improve the function of this respiratory organ.

Evidence from an observational study entitled Nutrition and Respiratory Health It has also been shown that increasing intake of vitamin E-rich food sources during pregnancy and breastfeeding can reduce the risk of asthma and wheezing in children.

In addition, increasing vitamin E intake has been shown to reduce the frequency of recurrence of respiratory problems in adults with COPD. The risk of developing COPD was also found to decrease by up to 10% in women who took 600 IU of vitamin E supplements.

Vitamin E can also be obtained from green vegetables, sunflower oil, wheat, and milk-based drinks.

To get the maximum lung health benefits from vitamin E, consume along with other sources of healthy foods for the lungs that are rich in vitamin C. Both of these vitamins are able to work effectively against free radicals in the body.

5. Broccoli

Boosting nutrition from foods rich in folic acid (vitamin B-9) can also help to keep your lungs healthy. Especially from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Broccoli is a food with the best source of folic acid or B vitamins.

A study of adults with COPD published in the journal Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 found that symptoms of shortness of breath due to COPD were associated with low intake of folate-rich foods.

Additionally, vitamin B6 is associated with better overall lung function and protection against lung cancer.

In a study published in Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010, lung cancer risk was found to be lower in blood samples from both smokers and non-smokers who increased their intake of foods high in vitamin B-6.

Other sources of B vitamins that can be healthy foods for the lungs are salmon, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, fish, eggs, milk, wheat, and nuts.

6. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids

Did you know that fish is one of the healthiest foods that can reduce the risk for chronic lung disease?

Fish that come from the sea, such as salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids that help clear a bacteria that can cause lung inflammation.

As explained by a professor from the Faculty of Medicine University of Rochester , omega-3 fatty acids tested on mice can help improve lung function.

However, further research is still needed to really understand how these foods can be useful in the human body, in particular for keeping the lungs healthy.

7. Yogurt

Another good food for the respiratory system is yogurt. In 2013 there was a study from Shahid Beheshti University showing the benefits of yogurt for the human respiratory system.

The study, which was followed by 46 female swimmers, showed that there was a reduced risk of respiratory infection symptoms that are common to swimmers.

These are foods with important nutrients that can maintain a healthy respiratory system, especially the lungs. Most of these foods are not only useful in protecting the lungs to stay healthy, but also help in the treatment of several respiratory ailments.

Not only food, you are also required to live a healthy lifestyle, such as staying away from cigarette smoke and wearing a mask to reduce exposure to pollution.