Skip to main content
PMC home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1999 Nov;54(11):1021–1026. doi: 10.1136/thx.54.11.1021

Dietary factors and pulmonary function: a cross sectional study in middle aged men from three European countries

C Tabak 1, H Smit 1, L Rasanen 1, F Fidanza 1, A Menotti 1, A Nissinen 1, E Feskens 1, D Heederik 1, D Kromhout 1
PMCID: PMC1745389  PMID: 10525562

Abstract

BACKGROUND—Results of epidemiological studies relating individual dietary factors to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are inconsistent. To evaluate the cross sectional association of dietary factors with pulmonary function, data were collected from middle aged men in three European countries.
METHODS—The data were collected in the 1960s in Finland (n = 1248), Italy (n = 1386), and the Netherlands (n = 691). Dietary intake was estimated using the cross-check dietary history method. Forced expiratory volume (FEV0.75 or FEV1, here called FEV) was measured by spirometry. Associations were adjusted for age, height, smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, and energy intake.
RESULTS—FEV was positively associated with intake of vitamin E in Finland, with intake of fruit in Italy, and with intake of β-carotene in the Netherlands. In all three countries men with intakes of both fruit and vegetables above the median had a higher FEV than those with a low intake of both foods. The difference in FEV ranged from 110 to 169 ml before and from 53 to 118 ml after energy adjustment. Differences in FEV for intake of three antioxidants (vitamins C and E and β-carotene) above versus below the median ranged from 61 to 181 ml before and from -35 to 58 ml after energy adjustment. Intake of fish was not associated with FEV.
CONCLUSIONS—In three European countries a high intake of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with pulmonary function. A high intake of all three antioxidants tended to be positively associated with pulmonary function before, but not after, adjustment for energy intake. Associations of individual antioxidants with pulmonary function were not consistent across countries.



Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (81.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Britton J. R., Pavord I. D., Richards K. A., Knox A. J., Wisniewski A. F., Lewis S. A., Tattersfield A. E., Weiss S. T. Dietary antioxidant vitamin intake and lung function in the general population. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 May;151(5):1383–1387. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.151.5.7735589. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carey I. M., Strachan D. P., Cook D. G. Effects of changes in fresh fruit consumption on ventilatory function in healthy British adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998 Sep;158(3):728–733. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.158.3.9712065. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chuwers P., Barnhart S., Blanc P., Brodkin C. A., Cullen M., Kelly T., Keogh J., Omenn G., Williams J., Balmes J. R. The protective effect of beta-carotene and retinol on ventilatory function in an asbestos-exposed cohort. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Mar;155(3):1066–1071. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.155.3.9116988. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cook D. G., Carey I. M., Whincup P. H., Papacosta O., Chirico S., Bruckdorfer K. R., Walker M. Effect of fresh fruit consumption on lung function and wheeze in children. Thorax. 1997 Jul;52(7):628–633. doi: 10.1136/thx.52.7.628. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DEN HARTOG C., VAN SCHAIKT, DALDERUP L. M., DRION E. F., MULDER T. THE DIET OF VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATING IN A LONG TERM EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FIELD SURVEY ON CORONARY HEART DISEASE AT ZUTPHEN, THE NETHERLANDS. Voeding. 1965 Apr 15;26:184–208. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dow L., Tracey M., Villar A., Coggon D., Margetts B. M., Campbell M. J., Holgate S. T. Does dietary intake of vitamins C and E influence lung function in older people? Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996 Nov;154(5):1401–1404. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.154.5.8912755. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fidanza A. A., Seccareccia F., Torsello S., Fidanza F. Diet of two rural population groups of middle-aged men in Italy. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1988;58(4):442–451. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Grievink L., Smit H. A., Ocké M. C., van 't Veer P., Kromhout D. Dietary intake of antioxidant (pro)-vitamins, respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function: the MORGEN study. Thorax. 1998 Mar;53(3):166–171. doi: 10.1136/thx.53.3.166. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hu G., Zhang X., Chen J., Peto R., Campbell T. C., Cassano P. A. Dietary vitamin C intake and lung function in rural China. Am J Epidemiol. 1998 Sep 15;148(6):594–599. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a009685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Keys A., Aravanis C., Blackburn H. W., Van Buchem F. S., Buzina R., Djordjević B. D., Dontas A. S., Fidanza F., Karvonen M. J., Kimura N. Epidemiological studies related to coronary heart disease: characteristics of men aged 40-59 in seven countries. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1966;460:1–392. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Miedema I., Feskens E. J., Heederik D., Kromhout D. Dietary determinants of long-term incidence of chronic nonspecific lung diseases. The Zutphen Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1993 Jul 1;138(1):37–45. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116775. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Morabia A., Sorenson A., Kumanyika S. K., Abbey H., Cohen B. H., Chee E. Vitamin A, cigarette smoking, and airway obstruction. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989 Nov;140(5):1312–1316. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/140.5.1312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ness A. R., Khaw K. T., Bingham S., Day N. E. Vitamin C status and respiratory function. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996 Sep;50(9):573–579. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ng'Ang'a L. W., Ernst P., Jaakkola M. S., Gerardi G., Hanley J. H., Becklake M. R. Spirometric lung function. Distribution and determinants of test failure in a young adult population. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Jan;145(1):48–52. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/145.1.48. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rautalahti M., Virtamo J., Haukka J., Heinonen O. P., Sundvall J., Albanes D., Huttunen J. K. The effect of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplementation on COPD symptoms. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Nov;156(5):1447–1452. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.156.5.96-11048. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Schwartz J., Weiss S. T. Relationship between dietary vitamin C intake and pulmonary function in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Jan;59(1):110–114. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.1.110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schwartz J., Weiss S. T. The relationship of dietary fish intake to level of pulmonary function in the first National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES I) Eur Respir J. 1994 Oct;7(10):1821–1824. doi: 10.1183/09031936.94.07101821. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shahar E., Folsom A. R., Melnick S. L., Tockman M. S., Comstock G. W., Gennaro V., Higgins M. W., Sorlie P. D., Ko W. J., Szklo M. Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Investigators. N Engl J Med. 1994 Jul 28;331(4):228–233. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199407283310403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sharp D. S., Rodriguez B. L., Shahar E., Hwang L. J., Burchfiel C. M. Fish consumption may limit the damage of smoking on the lung. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1994 Oct;150(4):983–987. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.150.4.7921474. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Simopoulos A. P. Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Sep;54(3):438–463. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/54.3.438. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Slavin J., Jacobs D., Marquart L. Whole-grain consumption and chronic disease: protective mechanisms. Nutr Cancer. 1997;27(1):14–21. doi: 10.1080/01635589709514495. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sridhar M. K. Nutrition and lung health. BMJ. 1995 Jan 14;310(6972):75–76. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6972.75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Strachan D. P., Cox B. D., Erzinclioglu S. W., Walters D. E., Whichelow M. J. Ventilatory function and winter fresh fruit consumption in a random sample of British adults. Thorax. 1991 Sep;46(9):624–629. doi: 10.1136/thx.46.9.624. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES