Research links a healthy diet to a lower COPD risk

A study has find that eating an unhealthy diet could increase a person’s risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The research, published in The BMJ, is based on data from over 120,000 healthcare professionals who took part in studies in which they filled in questionnaires on their diet and health every 2 years for at least 12 years.

The researchers assessed the quality of each participant’s diet alongside their health status. They found that those with a healthy diet were a third less likely to develop COPD than those eating an unhealthy diet, even when accounting for other factors that could influence their risk of getting the disease.

Based on their findings, the researchers believe that promoting a healthy diet among the public could play an important role in preventing COPD, alongside encouraging people to quit smoking.

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Read the journal article.