A recently concluded investigation revealed that individuals diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can significantly benefit from a positive change in their diet as a complement to standard COPD therapy. According to the study’s findings, COPD patients, which include those living with diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, may experience an improvement in their symptoms and help lessen the likelihood of experiencing difficulties with breathing by avoiding junk food and eating healthier.

This research involved approximately 2,200 adults diagnosed with COPD who were asked to take note of how changing their diets to include healthy food would affect their quality of life and symptoms. The study’s volunteers were enlisted under a bigger project, which allowed the investigators to observe them over a span of 3 years. The participants were asked at 8 separate occasions if they had eaten any bananas, cheese, fish or grapefruit in the last 24 hours.

From detecting the degree of inflammation present through the participants’ blood tests, the researchers discovered that the participants who ingested these healthy food items exhibited fewer and less serious symptoms of COPD and performed better during lung function tests when compared to the ones that did not. These findings were presented during the yearly meeting of the American Thoracic Society, held in San Diego, California.

Diet is not the only modifiable factor that has been linked to better COPD management. Last month a group of researchers discovered that COPD hospital readmission rates for physically active individuals were lower. Click here to learn more about it.