5 Minutes
Imagine breathing city air every day and wondering whether something as simple as an apple could help. New analysis of nearly 200,000 participants suggests that higher fruit consumption is linked to smaller declines in lung function associated with fine particle pollution. The finding adds a nutritional angle to respiratory health and public policy debates.
A surprising link: fruit, antioxidants and cleaner lungs
Researchers presenting at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam examined whether diet modifies the well-established harms of air pollution. The investigation, led by Pimpika Kaewsri, a PhD candidate at the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability at the University of Leicester, focused on fruit, vegetables and whole grains and how they relate to lung capacity.
The team used UK Biobank data from about 200,000 adults and measured lung function using FEV1, the volume of air a person can forcibly exhale in one second. They compared FEV1 results with estimated exposure to PM2.5, microscopic airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter that come from vehicle exhaust, industry and combustion processes.
Key findings: stronger signal in women who eat more fruit
The analysis found that for every additional 5 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5, women who ate fewer than four portions of fruit daily experienced an average FEV1 decline of about 78.1 ml. By contrast, women consuming four or more portions a day had a smaller decline, approximately 57.5 ml. That difference suggests fruit intake might partially offset pollution-related lung damage.
Why was the effect clearer in women? The researchers report that men in the sample tended to consume less fruit overall, which could reduce statistical power to detect a protective association. Kaewsri plans further work to investigate whether diet influences lung function changes over time and whether similar benefits appear in different populations.
How antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds may help
Fruits are rich in vitamins, polyphenols and other antioxidant compounds that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Fine particulate matter triggers inflammatory responses and oxidative damage in the lung lining; antioxidants may blunt these pathways and limit resultant decline in lung performance. That biological plausibility strengthens the observational findings, though it does not prove causation.
What is FEV1 and PM2.5?
- FEV1: Forced expiratory volume in one second, an objective measure of lung function used in clinical and population studies.
- PM2.5: Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres, able to penetrate deep into the airways and bloodstream.
Policy and equity: diet is not a substitute for cleaner air
Experts caution that dietary advice cannot replace the need to cut pollution at the source. Professor Sara De Matteis, chair of the European Respiratory Society expert group on occupational and environmental health, notes that the study supports respiratory benefits from plant-rich diets but also highlights social inequalities. Access to fresh fruit and vegetables varies widely, and population-level policies to lower emissions remain essential. In other words, individual food choices may help, but governments must continue to reduce air pollution to protect public health.
The study adjusted for age, height and socio-economic status, but residual confounding is possible. Still, the consistency of diet-lung associations across groups and the known biological effects of antioxidants make the result noteworthy. For clinicians and public-health communicators, the work reinforces existing guidance to promote fruit and vegetable intake as part of a lung-healthy lifestyle.
Implications for everyday living and future research
For city residents, the message is pragmatic: eat more fruit if you can, because it may confer measurable respiratory benefits in polluted environments. Public-health programs could pair nutritional initiatives with targeted air quality interventions, especially in communities that suffer both high pollution and limited access to healthy food.
Future research directions include longitudinal analyses to see whether diet slows lung decline over time, intervention trials testing dietary supplementation or food prescriptions, and studies in more diverse populations and pollution contexts. Understanding the dose-response relationship and which fruit types or nutrients offer the most protection will help shape practical recommendations.
Expert Insight
Dr Elena Rossi, a respiratory epidemiologist not involved in the study, comments: 'This is an elegant use of large-scale data to probe a realistic question. The protective association with fruit is plausible biologically and encouraging from a public-health perspective. But we should avoid framing diet as a substitute for clean air. Both strategies are needed: empowering individuals through better food access, while policymakers deliver the structural reductions in emissions that protect everyone.'
Researchers and health communicators will watch for follow-up studies that test causality and examine mechanisms in greater detail. For now, adding a couple more portions of fruit a day remains a low-risk, potentially beneficial step for lung health in polluted settings.
Source: scitechdaily
Comments
coinpilot
If this is real, how much fruit you gotta eat daily? 4 portions seems high for some ppl, also confounding probs, so uh... cautious optimism I guess
bioNix
Wow, didn't expect fruit could partly shield lungs from smog, makes me wanna snack more apples on the commute, but policy change still needed.
Leave a Comment