Contents:
- Medical Video: 5 BEST FOODS TO CLEANSE YOUR LUNGS
- What are the nutrients needed to maintain lung health?
- 1. Carotenoids
- 2. Vitamin C
- 3. Vitamin E
- 4. Mineral
- 5. Vitamin B
Medical Video: 5 BEST FOODS TO CLEANSE YOUR LUNGS
In a relaxed state, you can breathe up to 30 thousand times every day. Diseases such as lung cancer, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), until asthma can limit your ability to breathe oxygen. Oxygen is needed by every cell and tissue to function optimally. For that, just like other body parts, you need to get nutrients from healthy foods so that lung health is always maintained.
What are the nutrients needed to maintain lung health?
The following is a list of important nutrients needed by the lungs, so you can breathe better.
1. Carotenoids
Carotenoids are pigments that give bright colors to carrots, spinach, kale, tomatoes, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. Carotenoids have been shown to help reduce oxidative stress to prevent lung cancer, and improve lung capacity to breathe in people who have asthma and COPD.
One of the "family members" of carotenoids, lycopene, is reported to reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract. Previous studies have shown that beta-carotene in carrots, which are converted into vitamin A in the body, can reduce the recurrence of asthma due to exercise.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is closely related to nutrition to prevent flu and colds. But a review study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2007 showed that this antioxidant intake is also beneficial to keep you away from pneumonia, after reviewing five different studies. Evidence from other experimental studies shows that vitamin C is important in preventing the development of COPD and the progress of its treatment.
In addition, vitamin C is also reported to prevent and control asthma symptoms. Vitamin C intake during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of wheezing in early childhood. The same benefits are also found in vitamin C consumption during childhood. One study in Japan found that the incidence of asthma was found to be lowest in preschoolers who received more daily vitamin C intake than those who did not.
Besides oranges, you can also get this vitamin from yellow paprika, papaya, guava, kiwi and mango. Vitamin C is also found in ginger, which is naturally warm to help thin the phlegm.
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) is a useful source of antioxidants to help slow aging. But besides that, vitamins are reported to overcome wheezing problems while increasing lung function. Evidence from observational studies also shows that increasing the intake of food sources rich in vitamin E during pregnancy and breastfeeding can reduce the risk of asthma and wheezing in children.
In addition, increased intake of vitamin E has been shown to reduce the frequency of recurrence of respiratory problems in adults with COPD. The risk of developing COPD is also found to decrease by up to 10% in women taking 600 IU vitamin E supplements.
You can get Vitamin E from nuts, green vegetables, sunflower oil, wheat, and milk-based drinks. To get the most maximum lung health benefits from vitamin E, take it with a food source rich in vitamin C. Vitamins C and E work together to fight free radicals in the body.
4. Mineral
Some minerals are found to be very useful to protect you from respiratory problems. In children, increased intake of magnesium, calcium, selenium, and potassium from fresh foods is reported to reduce the risk of asthma. Magnesium can relax the muscles around the pulmonary bronchi, making the respiratory tract open. Bronchial narrowing is what triggers an asthma attack.
You can get a bunch of these important minerals from green vegetables, nuts and seeds, wheat, beef and chicken, fish, eggs, fruits, and garlic. Garlic, besides containing selenium, also contains alisin which can increase blood flow to the lungs so you can breathe better.
5. Vitamin B
Increasing your intake of foods rich in folic acid (vitamin B-9) can also help protect your lungs from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD - a term that includes a variety of lung conditions, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and some forms of asthma.
A study of adult COPD owners published in the journal Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 found that symptoms of shortness of breath due to COPD were associated with low intake of folate-rich foods.
In addition, vitamin B-6 is associated with better overall lung function and protection against lung cancer. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010, the risk of lung cancer was found to be lower in blood samples belonging to smokers and non-smokers which increased food intake high in vitamin B-6.
Some of the best sources of vitamin B are salmon, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, fish, eggs, milk, wheat, and nuts.
