Plant-Centered Diet May Reduce Emphysema Risk in Young Smokers, reveals study
Researchers have found that adherence to a nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet may significantly reduce the risk of emphysema in young adults who smoke or have smoked in the past. This finding comes from a longitudinal study following young ever-smokers for 30 years, aiming to determine whether dietary habits could impact the development of future radiographic emphysema. This study was published in the Journal Of The COPD Foundation by Mariah K. and colleagues.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health concern, and preventing the development of emphysema is crucial for managing COPD. Smokers, particularly young ones, represent a high-risk population for emphysema. Although there are limited prevention strategies for emphysema, dietary interventions may offer a promising approach.
The study analyzed data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Lung Prospective Cohort Study, which enrolled participants aged 18–30 years and followed them for 30 years. The study focused on 1,706 adults who reported current or former smoking by year 20. Diet history was assessed using A Priori Diet Quality Scores (APDQSs) and divided into quintiles, with higher quintiles indicating greater adherence to a nutritionally rich plant-centered diet. Emphysema was assessed by computed tomography (CT) at year 25.
The key findings of the study were:
• In the cohort, 13% developed emphysema, with an average age of 50.4 ± 3.5 years.
• The prevalence of emphysema was 4.5% in the highest APDQS quintile (high nutritional richness) compared to 25.4% in the lowest quintile.
• After adjusting for several covariates, including smoking, greater adherence to a plant-centered diet was inversely associated with emphysema.
• Those in the highest quintile had an odds ratio of 0.44 for developing emphysema (95% CI 0.19-0.99, ptrend=0.008).
These findings suggest that a nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet may provide a protective effect against emphysema development in young ever-smokers. This dietary approach could serve as a promising strategy for emphysema prevention among high-risk smoking populations.
The study's results indicate that following a plant-centered diet over time may decrease the risk of emphysema development in middle adulthood, especially in individuals with a history of smoking. This highlights the potential for dietary changes as a preventive measure for emphysema in at-risk populations.
Reference:
Jackson MK, Choi Y, Eisenberg E, et al. A plant-centered diet is inversely associated with radiographic emphysema: findings from the CARDIA Lung Study. Chronic Obstr Pulm Dis. 2024; 11(2): 164-173. doi: http://doi.org/10.15326/jcopdf.2023.0437
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