Dietary patterns and lung function among smokers without respiratory disease
In plain English
A cross-sectional study of 207 Spanish smokers who had no diagnosed lung disease, comparing their habitual diet against spirometry. Closer adherence to a Mediterranean-style pattern (vegetables, fruit, olive oil, fish) was associated with better lung function, while a 'Western' pattern high in processed and fried foods tracked with worse FEV1 and FVC. It suggests diet may buffer some of smoking's damage to the airways.
Why it matters
A Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with better lung function in smokers.
Informs: Respiratory
Provenance
- Design
- Cross-sectional
- Sample size (n)
- 207
- Peer-reviewed
- Yes
- Replications
- 1
- Funding
- Public / academic
- Funders
- Catalan Health Institute, Spanish public research grants
- Institutions
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalan Health Institute (Tarragona)
decades.plus score
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Caveats
Cross-sectional and modest in size (n=207), so it captures a snapshot association rather than change over time or causation. Every participant was a smoker — by far the dominant driver of lung function — so diet's contribution is comparatively small.
