Foods For Help I Relieving Symptons Associated With COPD

Research presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society and published in the journal Respiratory and Critical Care found four specific foods that had a direct positive effect on relieving symptoms associated with COPD.

Dr. Corrine Hanson, lead author of the study, says: “Diet is a potentially modifiable risk factor in the development and progression of many diseases, and there is evidence that diet plays a role in both the development and clinical factors of COPD.”

Specifically, fresh bananas, grapefruit, fish and small amounts of cheese proved effective against chronic lung disease when compared with COPD sufferers who did not consume these foods.

Study participants reported better lung functioning and fewer symptoms after beginning to consume these four foods. The researchers think that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of bananas, grapefruit, fish and small portions of cheese were the properties that helped the patients.

Interestingly, cheese and all dairy are often contraindicated in lung disease because of their mucus-forming nature. Dairy forms mucus, which can obstruct the lungs further. It also creates an internal environment suitable for bacteria. However, according to the study, eating dairy in small amounts may relieve symptoms.