These Two Fruits Can Help Former Smokers’ Lungs Heal (Study)

Former smokers can rejoice as a new study has found that two types of  fruit are extremely good at healing their lung tissue and restoring lung functions despite years of smoking.

A research team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that two fruits – apples and tomatoes (which are botanically considered fruits) – can repair ex smokers’ lungs and reduce the pace of natural aging processes in the organ.

• The study included 650 participants who were followed for ten years.
• The volunteers, who were from the U.K., Norway, and Germany, agreed to answer questions on their dietary habits, smoking, and health status.
• All participants underwent a screening procedure that measured their lung capacity when processing oxygen.

The analysis revealed that the aging processes in the lungs of former smokers where somehow slowed down if those people had included lots of apples and tomatoes in their diets.

Researchers also found the lung function tended to degrade more slowly in people that consumed tomato-rich diets. The improvement was obvious in both former smokers and never-smokers.

Apples and Tomatoes Have Real Benefits for Former Smokers

Participants who routinely ate two tomatoes or more benefited from a better lung function and slowing aging processes. The effect was replicated in volunteers that ate three portions of fruit or more per day.

This study shows that diet might help repair lung damage in people who have stopped smoking,

senior author Vanessa Garcia-Larsen noted.

Also, the research shows that the natural aging processes of the lung are slowed down in people who have never smoked, as well.

Researchers plan a follow-up study to confirm their findings. They are confident the study results can be of great help to patients diagnosed with a respiratory disease.
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