An Apple a Day Improves Lung Function
It's true what they say about fruit...
According to a report published in the journal Thorax, researchers from St George's Hospital Medical School found that apple consumption significantly improves lung function.
Improved breathing was associated with high intakes of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, citrus fruit, and most significantly of apples. The prospective cohort study looked at 2512 Welshmen ranging in age from 45 to 59. After body mass index, smoking history, social class, exercise, and calories were accounted for - only vitamin E and apple intake remained as significant influencers for improving lung function.
"...your eating habits may be affecting the way you breathe." - American Lung Association
Vitamin-rich fruits have been known for their protective role against lung damage for years. "Good food, like good medicine, works to heal and repair your body and to make it stronger against disease," according to the American Lung Association.
Of course, the best way to improve breathing is to abstain from smoking, exercise regularly, and live in a clean environment. However, with what we now know about eating healthy foods - it remains problematic as to why consumers still don't eat the recommend servings of 2-3 fruits and 3-5 vegetables per day. As Hippocrates once said, "...Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food..."
