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A healthy diet isn't just good for your heart — it may help your lungs too. A large Dutch study found that adults with asthma or COPD who ate healthier diets had better lung function, and those with COPD experienced a slower decline over time. Fruits, vegetables, and tea were among the standout foods linked to better outcomes.
A healthy diet isn't just good for your heart — it may help your lungs too. A large prospective study using data from over 83,000 adults in the Netherlands found that people with asthma or COPD who followed a healthier diet had significantly better lung function compared to those with the same conditions who ate less healthily. The benefits were especially pronounced in COPD patients, who also showed a slower rate of lung function decline over roughly five years.
Researchers measured diet quality using a validated 12-food-group scoring system and tracked lung function via spirometry at baseline and two follow-up visits. Higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, and tea were particularly associated with better lung function in both asthma and COPD patients.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Diet is a low-cost, accessible tool that clinicians can recommend alongside standard pharmacological treatments to help preserve lung function in patients with chronic respiratory conditions.
